cell phone 1The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department is issuing a warning to the public regarding a sophisticated telephone scam that has continued to surface locally. The scam involves a caller who claims to be a representative of the Sacramento Sheriff’s Warrant division, who then informs the call recipient of an outstanding warrant for their arrest that requires immediate payment. The caller will threaten arrest if the recipient does not supply a credit card number or other immediate money transfer for payment. The Sacramento Sheriff’s Department does not handle warrant information or payment over the phone for any reason. Anyone who receives such a call is discouraged from sending money to the caller and to quickly disconnect the phone call. Anyone who has fallen victim to this scam is asked to contact your local Sheriff’s Service Center to receive options on how to report the incident. Sheriff’s Service Center locations and hours can be found at www.sacsheriff.com. Additionally, no public agency will make contact or seek payment by any threatening phone or email contact. Report any such contacts to law enforcement immediately and DO NOT make any payments as demanded. This alert is especially important for senior citizens who are often preyed on by criminals. If you have or care for seniors, caution them about such scams and take needed actions to protect them.