The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office received numerous calls Tuesday concerning a scam phone call. The number calling is (256) 273-5618. During this call a male advises the person that he is an investigator or Lieutenant Wilson with the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office and that he is calling because the person missed their summons for jury duty. The scammer then instructs the person to go to either Dollar General or CVS and purchase a green punch card, load $500 onto the card and bring it to the Sheriff’s Office or a warrant for their arrest will be issued.
Once you get the card they instruct you to contact them back at the above number for further instructions on where to send the money. If you call the above number it goes to an answering service that claims to be the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office and prompts you to press numbers for different divisions.
This number is NOT the correct number for the office. This number is set up by the scammers in order to make callers believe they are actually speaking to our office. This number is a VOIP number that could be based anywhere in the world with internet access. [Editor's Note: VOIP stands for "Voice Over Internet Protocol," an internet-based way to make cheap or free calls worldwide.]
Chief Deputy Michael Edmondson warns: “I would like to remind everyone that the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office will never contact anyone demanding money. Please remember to never give your personal information to anyone over the phone. If you receive a call from this or any number with this same scam, hang up immediately and contact the Sheriff’s Office at (256) 845-3801.”
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