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Daytona Beach, FL – Authorities are warning residents to be wary if they receive any phone calls from someone claiming to represent the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators are looking into various complaints made recently by residents who received suspicious phone calls from people claiming to work for the law enforcement agency.
VCSO spokesman Andrew Gant says several people have gotten phone calls from someone claiming to be a lieutenant with VCSO.
“In one case, the man was calling about an alleged missed jury duty appearance,” Gant noted. “The caller asked the resident to meet him at the Sheriff’s Office so a deputy would not have to be dispatched to the home to make an arrest in front of the neighbors.”
Gant says the caller then disconnected and never called back after the resident refused to meet.
In another case, a resident gave VCSO a voicemail made by a man who called himself “Kevin” and claimed to be with VCSO.
“The message stated the resident’s name came across his desk on an investigation and they needed to talk,” Gant stated. “The male left a phone number for the resident to call him back.”
When investigators dialed the phone numbers provided by both those residents, they discovered a generic VCSO message left by a male-sounding voice when the call went to voicemail, according to Gant.
Similar messages have also been discovered by other residents, though in those cases, the voice appeared to sound computer-generated and female, per Gant.
“So far, unlike similar suspicious calls from impersonators of other agencies, none of the calls reported in Volusia have involved requests for payment,” Gant said. “Anyone who receives a telephone call of this nature should not give any personal information over the phone.”
Gant also urged anyone who gets a message like this should not agree to meet with the caller or send the caller money, gift cards, cashier’s checks or prepaid credit or debit cards.
Anyone who thinks they may have been in contact with these scammers are urged to call VCSO at 386-248-1777 and report it.
Copyright 2015 Southern Stone Communications.
