New phone scam reported  

The Sheriff’s Office is receiving additional reports of people receiving phone scams from criminals making false claims.

The latest scam involves callers claiming the intended victim is guilty of a crime — in this case, illegal immigration in some false way — in order to extract money.

In many cases, scammers call claiming to be in law enforcement and urge people to rectify some violation by paying them, often with gift cards.

The criminals often use real law enforcement phone numbers and will use real local law enforcement officers’ names during the scams. Some residents have previously reported getting calls from someone posing as Sheriff Rick Ramsay.

First off: If you receive a call from a law enforcement agency, utility company, government agency, or popular business, hang up and contact the agency for verification.

Second: NEVER PAY FOR ANYTHING OVER THE PHONE WITH GIFT CARDS! This is a sure sign you are getting scammed.

Never give personal, monetary, or gift card information to anyone over the phone, in a text, or an email— TO ANYONE REGARDLESS OF WHO THEY CLAIM TO BE — without first checking with that person, utility, business, government agency, or popular business.

Anyone with information about any crimes should contact the Sheriff’s Office at 305-292-7000. Callers who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 1-866-471-8477. If a tip leads to an arrest in the case, the caller may be eligible for a cash reward. Tips may also be submitted online at www.floridakeyscrimestoppers.com or via a text message using the smartphone app called P3 Phone. Tips can also be submitted via social media such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using the @CrimeStoppers305 hashtag.

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