UPDATE: (1:15 p.m. on Tuesday, April 11, 2023): A third sheriff’s office is also now reporting that they are receiving several calls from their residents regarding a scam caller masquerading as a sheriff’s deputy.

The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office says they also have reports of an unknown person calling people and claiming to be a deputy. The WCSO says the phony deputy is calling the intended victims and “requesting several hundreds of dollars” in order to avoid arrest over alleged missed court appearances.

According to the sheriff’s office, deputies will not under any circumstances contact someone requesting money or to inform them of a warrant arrest. Deputies are urging people to avoid giving out any personal and financial information to someone over the phone, especially in an unsolicited call.

Earlier this morning, the Mason County and Putnam County sheriff’s offices also announced that they have been receiving reports from residents who say they have been receiving calls from people claiming to be deputies and requesting payments for fines.

WEST VIRGINIA (WOWK) – Two more county sheriffs’ offices in the Mountain State are warning residents to be wary of scam callers pretending to be law enforcement officers.

According to the Mason County Sheriff’s Office, residents have called the office regarding calls they have received from people claiming to be deputies. These callers claim the recipient owes a fine to rectify a warrant, and asks the intended victim to pay the fine over the phone.

The MCSO says residents have told them the scammers are using the names of real deputies to make the calls seem more legitimate. The sheriff’s office says, however, neither the sheriff’s office nor the court system would call unsolicited and ask someone to pay a fine.

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office says they have also received recent reports of residents receiving calls from scammers pretending to be deputies. They say the intended victims are being told they need to make a monetary payment to clear an arrest warrant.

Both agencies say these types of calls are a scam and residents should not make the over-the-phone payment.

This comes just a week after the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office released that a woman had received a call from a scammer claiming to be a sergeant and telling her to meet them in person with cash for allegedly missing jury duty.

At that time, the KCSO shared the following list of “red flags” to help you recognize a possible phone scam:

• Receiving a text message from an unknown number that claims you owe something or are a winner
• Do not answer calls that say “UNKNOWN” or calls from suspicious numbers
• The caller requests you only call them back on the number they provided and is persistent about keeping in contact while you complete the transaction.
• The caller warns you not to tell anyone about the conversation.
• the caller warns you not to disclose what the transaction is for to your bank or other financial institution.
• “Sweetheart scams” in which the scammer convinces their intended victim they are in love and makes excuses involving financial problems and asks the victim for money.
• Do not agree to meet with people for money exchanges, even at a public place.

If you think you or someone you know may be a victim of one of these scams, contact your local sheriff’s office.