The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office warns residents to be on alert for telephone scammers

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION)- Scammers are after the innocent people of Monterey County. Only this time they are posing as law officials from the Monterey County Sheriff's Office.

Imagine your phone ringing and it’s someone for the local sheriff’s office, and when you pick up the call you are immediately asked for disclosed amount of money. This is the reality for some residents who have fallen victim to telephone scams.

"They'll pretend to be that person. so if somebody got that call and they were to go to the sheriff's office and say yeah John Thornburg does work for the sheriff's office oh this call must be true and it absolutely is not"

Many of the scammers are equipped to sound just like a law enforcement officers. peer pressuring you to pay your warrants immediately, or be arrested.         


"If they get a call and are like hold on this can't be right, call us"

And scammers are always one step ahead of the victims .Posing as real life staff member for the sheriff’s office.


"They use somebody a sergeant’s name a deputies name that makes it sound like yeah that's somebody that would be trying to arrest somebody if they've actually done something wrong"

And lastly, the sheriff’s office under no circumstances will demand your money.

"We don't call you and say send us money. Sheriff’s deputies don't accept bail we don't do anything of that type"

Sheriff’s would like to remind anyone who receives these calls to use your best judgment, and if something doesn’t feel right it probably isn’t.