From the Sheriff's Desk

The White County Sheriff’s Office wants to again iterate the growing wave of scams in White County. Sheriff Steve Page has seen waves of scam callers trying to pose as officers as of late. He wants to remind county residents that the Sheriff’s Office would never call someone about an arrest warrant, nor missing jury duty fees.

The fraudsters operate by pretending to be officers with the Sheriff’s Department. Victims will receive a call, intimidating them with threats of arrest warrants or bonds for missing jury duty. Then, they will demand payment from the victims either through gift cards, apps, or cryptocurrency.

Sheriff Page wanted to reiterate, “Our office will never call you. People are scared when they get calls like this but remember that we do not call. If there is an arrest warrant, we will show up to the house.”

If a victim receives one of these scam calls and still feels unsure about its legitimacy, Sheriff Page recommends calling the Justice Department first. While they will never call someone demanding payment over the phone, calling them first to confirm the call was a scam is always wise.

“They will claim you can pay over the phone and fix it,” says Sheriff Page. “But that is not how it works. We will never demand payment for anything over the phone.”

The Sheriff also wanted to share growing concerns over littering in the county. Lately, the amount of trash getting tossed onto the road, or side of the road, has grown.

“If we see you tossing it out, we will pull you over and issue a citation,” said the Sheriff. “If it’s in the back of your truck, tie it down.”

While the littering is an issue Sheriff Page wants to address further in the future, he feels the growing wave of scam callers is important to address for the safety of the public. Always remember these three things: the Sheriff’s Office would not ask for payment over the phone, the scammers will try to impersonate an officer, and victims of a scam call can always call the Sheriff’s Office to assure the call was fake first.