Washington County Sheriff’s Office Issues Scam Alert Regarding Phone Solicitations

HAGERSTOWN, MD News (1/2/2024) – In a recent announcement, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) has alerted the public to a concerning scam targeting residents in the area. Reports have been received indicating that individuals are receiving calls from someone claiming to be a representative of the WCSO, employing deceptive tactics to solicit money.

The perpetrators of this scam have allegedly been informing the recipient that a Failure to Appear warrant has been issued against them, or something akin, urging them to pay a purported fine through various means.

It is crucial for the public to be aware that these calls are fraudulent. The WCSO emphasizes that they do not engage in the solicitation of money over the phone under any circumstances. Residents are urged to exercise caution and refrain from succumbing to such deceptive tactics.

In recent days, the WCSO has received numerous reports of these fraudulent calls, indicating an uptick in scamming activities. The scammers are reportedly employing various schemes, such as falsely claiming individuals have a Failure to Appear warrant related to jury duty, with the aim of coercing them into paying a fabricated fine.

Despite the convincing nature of these calls, the WCSO underscores the importance of remaining vigilant and not falling victim to these scams. It is emphasized that WCSO officials will never contact individuals over the phone to communicate the existence of warrants or demand payments.

Residents are advised to exercise caution when receiving unsolicited calls and to verify the legitimacy of such communications. If in doubt, individuals are encouraged to contact the WCSO directly through official channels to confirm the validity of any claims made over the phone.

Article by multiple RFHC contributors.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article included information from a separate Washington County Sheriff’s Office, which is located in Arkansas. The name of the deputy in question was removed from the updated article.