Telephone Scam Warning

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office wants to warn citizens about two telephone scams being conducted in the area.

The Sheriff’s Office received several reports this weekend from residents who received a phone call from someone claiming to be with “the sheriff’s office” or “the police department.” The caller requested the person’s social security number so they can “red flag” their credit card account which had been compromised by suspects that are in custody.

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office wants to remind citizens that detectives would not conduct an investigation in this manner, so no one should provide personal financial information to anyone, particularly over the phone.

In the other scam, a caller asks people to wire money out of state to help a relative in trouble, usually in Canada.

No one should wire money unless they can independently confirm who they are dealing with and that the relative is truly in need.

Said Sheriff Tom Knight, “As nice as they sound, these criminals are trying to separate citizens from their hard earned money, so just hang up.”

Fortunately, none of the residents fell for these scams and instead called to report this activity. Anyone with information on these scams, or potential suspects, should contact the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office at 941.316.1201.