Sheriff’s Office warns of new scam in Lake Area

Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) - Sheriff Tony Mancuso is warning residents in the Lake Area of a new scam that has been surfacing.

Victims are reporting that they received a phone call saying that a warrant has been issued for their arrest due to a failure to appear in court. The caller will claim to be with the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office and uses the name of a current deputy. They will tell the victim that if they pay a lump sum of money the won’t be arrested.

Deputies say that when they called the suspect’s phone they learned that he has a voicemail set up that says he’s with the sheriff’s office, non-emergency dispatch.

Sheriff Mancuso reminds residents that most of the time, law enforcement will serve warrants in-person. But that under the rare circumstances that law enforcement will call you about a warrant they will never ask for any money or any form of payment.

If you believe you are the victim of a scam, Sheriff Mancuso says these tips may help:

• Resist any pressure from the scammer to make an immediate decision. Scammers will usually try to create a sense of urgency to get you to act first and think later.
• Verify the information before sending any money.
• Never wire money or give a gift card based on a request made via phone or e-mail. Keep in mind that doing so is like giving cash, once you send it, there’s no getting it back.

If you believe you may have been the victim of this scam or any other scam you can contact the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office at 491-3605.

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