Sheriff’s office warns of phone spoofing scam

WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) — The next time that phone rings, be suspicious of who might be on the other end of the line. The Trumbull County Sheriff’s office is warning residents of a phone scam, conning residents out of money.

The digital age can be a delight, but there’s also some inherent danger. A phone-spoofing scam is the latest variation. Trumbull County Sheriff Paul Monroe says the crooks are using the sheriff’s office phone number to dupe unsuspecting residents into thinking they’ve missed a court date or subpoena and can get out of trouble by paying.

“If there’s a warrant for you, we aren’t going to call and tell you that you need to pay us,” Sheriff Monroe said. “If you missed a court date, there’s not a fee involved with that. If there’s a subpoena issued, there are no fees with that that you need to come and pay.”

Each year these hoaxes get more and more elaborate in an attempt to shake down money from victims.

“It just seems over and over again they’re using AI technology,” Sheriff Monroe said. “They go onto our website and use the names of deputies that work here or administrative staff.”

But tracking down the crooks, that’s a challenge in itself.

“It’s difficult for us to prosecute these persons,” Sheriff Monroe said. “One of the reasons is when they’re spoofing our numbers, there’s a computer-generated number that it’s attached to. IP addresses are changing. It’s constantly revolving the different numbers.”

Sheriff Monroe says the Sheriff’s office will never contact you asking for any past due payment or fines to be paid via gift cards. And if something sounds suspicious– it probably is. Hang up and contact the sheriff’s office directly to verify any unusual phone calls.

You can also download the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office app that can warn you of scams like these.

“The Sheriff’s office will never call you and tell you we’re going to send a deputy to your house. Or we’re going to send a private service out to pick up money,” Sheriff Monroe said. “If that happens, it’s a scam. Please contact your local police department. Contact the sheriff’s office.”

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