Talbot County Sheriff’s Office Issues Alert Warning Residents of Scam
August 22, 2024/
The Talbot County Sheriff’s Office is issuing an alert warning residents of recent scammers pretending to be members of the TCSO. Specifically, the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office is warning county residents of a telephone scam where the caller identifies themselves as a member of the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office, most recently Major Stephen Elliott or Sheriff Joseph Gamble. The caller threatens the victim with being arrested unless a cash payment is sent through a “coinme” ATM, usually located at the Giant in Easton. The victim is directed to withdraw money from their bank and send the money through the “coinme” ATM to a phone number and pin supplied by the caller. In most of the cases, the caller remains on the line with the victim and walks them through the process. The Talbot County Sheriff’s Office, nor any other police department will contact you by telephone and demand money to avoid arrest. These “SCAM” callers are very skilled and will provide personal information about the victim, which can easily be found online. If you receive such a call, hang up and call the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office directly at 410-822-1020.
Additional Information from the TCSO:
The Sheriff’s Office makes clear that Law enforcement agencies do not call for cash. They never call or email you about paying them money. They might say you’ll be arrested, fined, or deported if you don’t pay taxes or some other debt right away. The goal is to scare you into paying. But real law enforcement agencies will not call and threaten you. The ways scammers pose as law enforcement include:
* Demanding payment for a missed court date, jury duty, or other legal matter
* Claiming there is a warrant for your arrest
* Threatening arrest unless you pay a fine
* Directing you to buy a prepaid money transfer card and provide the card number
*Disguising the phone number so it appears valid on caller ID
Refuse to give the scammer any information
Do not send any payments
Hang up and do not trust that caller ID shows their real identity
Record their number and save any voicemails
Find the real number and call the law enforcement agency the scammer claimed to represent
If you are the victim of a scam within Talbot County please call (410) 822-1020. If you suspect a scam but have not fallen victim please report the fraud to the Federal Trade Commission.
