RCSO warns of scam impersonating law enforcement

According to authorities, a scam that targets victims over the telephone claiming to be with the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office has resurfaced.

Chief Deputy Mark Jones of the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office said there has been a handful of “scam” incidents circulating in Rabun County, but this one is the same as the last reported scam back in mid-May.

“When you call this number back, it will actually say Rabun County Sheriff’s Office if nobody answers,” Mark Jones added. “There is a recording that says that but it’s not us.”

There have been multiple complaints of someone claiming to be an officer with the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office, calling citizens of Rabun County stating that they have a warrant for their arrest. The person calling will state they are either a sergeant or a deputy with the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office and they will tell you they have a failure to appear warrant and are in contempt of court because you did not show up for Federal Court Jury Duty. The conversation will quickly turn to the person requesting money to get the warrant taken care of.

Law enforcement explained that the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office, for the most part, will not call and inform someone that there is an active warrant for their arrest. Furthermore, the sheriff’s office would never request money over the phone to settle any warrant that an individual may have.

Jones said he would like to remind the public to never give out any information over the phone to people that you are wary of such as date of births, social security numbers or credit card information.

“We’re just trying to make the public aware of what’s going on and also to remind people to never give any personal information out on the phone unless you are 100 percent of who you are speaking with because there is so much of this that goes on,” Jones said.

The sheriff’s office still would like to encourage people to report any further incidents regarding this particular scam to (706) 782-3612.