New Scam Alert: Scammers Are Calling Pretending To Be Sheriffs

Residents of Pierce County, Washington are being warned to be aware of a recent scam involving callers impersonating Sergeant Darren Moss of the Pierce County Sheriff's Office.

The Active Scam

According to Sergeant Moss himself, these scammers are calling people and informing them there is an active warrant out on them and are trying to extract money or gift cards in exchange for absolving the non-existent warrant. He emphasized no police officer, judge, US Marshal, prosecutor, or any public official will ask for money over the phone.

Listen To The Call

The Sheriffs Advise

"Do not call the number they leave you," warned Moss.

Sheriff's officials advise if someone is unsure whether a call is from a legitimate source, they should call the Sheriff's main line and ask to speak with the caller directly.

"Remember, no police officer, judge, US Marshal, prosecutor or any public official will ask you for money over the phone," Moss said in a post about the scam. "We definitely won’t ask you for gift cards."

Other Scams

This is far from the first instance of these types of scams across the US. From Grant County to Latah County, scammers are preying on unsuspecting victims, oftentimes taking advantage of their fear by fabricating kidnap scenarios like what a Spokane Valley father experienced last year.

Prevent Being Scammed

The only way to prevent being scammed is to be vigilant and not trust random callers over the phone. In this day and age, scammers are everywhere and will continue to do whatever it takes to get money from people, even pretending to be officials like Sergeant Moss. So remember, if a call sounds too good to be true, it likely is.

The Federal Communications Commission reports robocalls, texts, spoofing and other scams are the number one consumer complaint, and they have tips to follow if you're being targeted by robocalls or if your number is being spoofed.