RUTHERFORD COUNTY, N.C. (WSPA) – Multiple people in Rutherford County have reportedly been targeted by a scam which threatens to send them to jail unless they pay off someone pretending to be a representative of the sheriff’s office.
The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office said it has received multiple calls from residents who have received phone calls they believed to be from the sheriff’s office and someone working directly under Sheriff Aaron Ellenburg.
The caller tells victims they failed to appear in court for a jury summons, and now have a federal warrant issued for their arrest. The caller tells victims their warrant has a bond fee of between $1,500 and $3,000 – money they can pay during their phone call by depositing money into an account through a Wal-Mart money store.
“During the call, the caller gets information from the victim such as address, date of birth, social security number and bank account numbers. After payment is made via the transfer the caller then attempts several withdrawals from the account of the victim until the bank account is frozen or shut down,” the department wrote.
The sheriff’s office emphasized these calls are scams, and no warrants have been issued for the people involved.
If a person receives one of these calls, they are advised not to pay any money because the sheriff’s office would not call someone about a warrant nor would they request money to forgo an arrest.
