The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is warning county residents about a recent phone scam that numerous local residents have reported.
According to those reports, the scammer calls and claims to be a current Jefferson County deputy and demands people pay a fine for missing a court date.
The Sheriff’s Office learned about the scam today, Oct. 27, spokesman Grant Bissell said.
He said those who reported the scam said the call came from a number with a 636 area code and the caller falsely claimed to be Deputy Tyler Norrick, who does work for the Sheriff’s Office. Then, the scammer demanded that the person buy gift cards to pay the fines for supposedly missing court dates.
Norrick has not been making the calls, Bissell said.
He also said he is not aware of any residents falling for the scam so far.
In a video posted on the Sheriff’s Office Facebook page, Bissell said it is not the Sheriff’s Office policy to call anyone who misses a court date. Instead, if someone misses a scheduled court date, a warrant is issued for the person’s arrest.
Bissell said at least two residents who reported receiving one of the calls said the scammer falsely claimed that retired Jefferson County Circuit Judge Mark Stoll was presiding over the cases.
Bissell said anyone who receives a scam call should report it to the Sheriff’s Office at 636-797-5515.
However, he said it is difficult to identify suspects in these types of scams.
“A lot of these calls come from overseas, or when you try to call the number back, it is untraceable because it has been bounced through technology that allows the scammer to hide their actual location,” Bissell said. “Unfortunately, there is not a whole lot we can do besides educating the public about scams of this nature.”