Man reports scam call

A Marathon man said he received a threatening scam phone call he wants to inform people about.

The man said someone called him purporting to be representing Fisherman’s Hospital in Marathon. The caller threatened to file a lawsuit against him on behalf of the hospital because he allegedly owes the hospital money. The man said he knew it was a scam call because he does not owe any money to Fisherman’s Hospital.

During the phone call, the caller attempted to get him to go to the store for cash cards to pay the bill.

The Sheriff’s Office would like to remind the public that no legitimate business will ever ask you to pay a bill using a cash card of any sort, nor will a legitimate business demand immediate payment while you are still on the phone. If you receive phone calls like this one, hang up the phone. If you are nervous, feel threatened, or have questions about the call, you can contact the Sheriff’s Office non-emergency number at 305-289-2351.

In the past, the Sheriff’s Office has received reports about scammers pretending to be from Keys Energy Services, the Florida Keys Electric Coop, and even scammers claiming to be from the Sheriff’s Office itself. Scammers will frequently threaten to cut off utilities, threaten to arrest people, threaten a lawsuit and sometimes threaten to harm family members. These callers can be extremely persuasive; if you have any vulnerable family members who may fall for such a scam, make sure you talk to them about this and warn them about these scams.

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