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Centre County warns residents about sheriff-impersonation scams; county gives verification phone number
Summary
County officials warned of a scam in which callers impersonate sheriff's offices and urged residents not to send gift cards, wire money or give credit-card information; the county gave a verification number for the Centre County Sheriff's Office.
Centre County officials used the opening portion of the Aug. 7 public meeting to warn residents about telephone and email scams in which callers impersonate sheriff's offices and other law-enforcement agencies.
"Please don't send them gift cards," one county official said. "Do not wire them money. Give them your credit card info without checking very, very carefully. Do not call the phone number the scammer gives you or use the email they provide." The official said scammers may display convincing caller ID information and sometimes answer calls or emails in a convincing fashion.
The county provided a verification number for the Centre County Sheriff's Office: (814) 355-6803, and urged residents to call that number during business hours if a caller claims to be from the Centre County Sheriff's Office. County staff also advised that, if a caller claims to be from a sheriff's office in another county, residents should independently look up that sheriff's office phone number and call them directly before providing money or personal information.
Centre County officials said they were sharing the warning "before more people are harmed." The warning included multiple public-safety precautions and emphasized that official-looking caller ID or an authoritative tone do not guarantee a caller's legitimacy.
