Klamath County, Oregon – Local authorities are warning residents to be on high alert after a surge of phone scams targeting people across Klamath County. In the last week, there have been several reports of someone calling and pretending to be from the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office, using threats and a sense of urgency to get victims to give money.
The Klamath County Sheriff’s Office said that scammers are making their calls sound real by being very careful. In some cases, they have called family members of people who are now in jail and said that they need to pay immediately for an ankle monitoring device.
In other situations, people who called residents said they skipped jury duty or that a warrant had been issued for their arrest. These claims are designed to create fear and prompt quick action without verification.
The scammers often say they are deputies or detectives and may hide behind “No Caller ID” or use fake phone numbers that look like they originate from the Sheriff’s Office. Then, the victims are told to pay right away, usually with a credit card or another quick payment option. Police officers said that these demands are very clear signals that something is not right.
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The Sheriff’s Office has made it clear that they don’t work this way. Officials will never call people to ask them to pay fines, warrants, jury duty, or ankle monitors. They won’t ask for a credit card number over the phone, and they won’t threaten to arrest anyone if they don’t pay instantly. Any call that includes these tactics should be treated as fraudulent.
Authorities think that scammers may be exploiting information that is available to the public to find and target potential victims, especially those who have loved ones in jail or who may be more likely to fall for high-pressure methods. This extra personal information might make the calls appear real, even though they are not.
People who get one of these calls are advised to hang up straight away and not give out any personal or financial information. You should then call the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office and tell them about the incident so they can record it and investigate it.
Officials are also asking people to help get the word out. Alerting your relatives, friends, and neighbors about this will help keep other people from falling for the same scam. One of the best ways to safeguard the community from financial scams and identity fraud is to raise awareness.
