Staff reports
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) put out a warning to citizens this week to beware of fraudsters impersonating law enforcement officers.
These scams are not new, they have simply re-emerged in Beaufort County.
According to the BCSO release, within the last week, the Sheriff’s Office has received several calls from community members reporting they have been solicited by a person representing the Sheriff’s Office for payment of fines or penalties related to missed jury duty or some other legal obligation.
As a reminder, the Sheriff’s Office emphasizes it does not accept payment for fines and penalties related to criminal matters nor will it solicit payment over the phone.
If a citizen receives a call they believe to be from a scammer, they are advised to simply hang up. If a citizen has a question about the information they are being provided, ask for a callback number and reach out to the BCSO for verification.
The Island News has reported on these scams before.
In October 2023, a scam artist posing as a BCSO deputy convinced a St. Helena Island woman that “she had missed a federal jury duty summons and was now facing arrest,” according to an incident report. To avoid any potential penalties, the woman’s husband “went to Food Lion and used a Bitcoin machine to send the suspect $4,520.”
According to the report, the man realized it was a scam when the suspect and his “major” tried to get more money out of him while he was still at the machine.
According to a separate incident report filed that month, a man claiming to be a BCSO deputy called a Lady’s Island woman and told her she had three outstanding warrants for missing jury duty. The woman said she spoke to two separate people on the phone, realizing it was a scam when the two men asked for two different amounts of money. But it was not before she had already lost a total of $600.
“Never provide any personal or banking information to callers if you don’t have an established relationship with them,” the release said.
Citizens are advised to stay vigilant — scammers are always creating new and clever ways to defraud unknowing victims.
