Sheriff Shirley Warns Against Scams Occurring in Stephens Co.

Stephens County Sheriff Randy Shirley reports two scams currently going on in Stephens County.

According to Shirley, one scam occurred late last week. The victim reported it, saying that she received a phone call from a male, identifying himself as Sergeant Roberts from the Clarkesville Police Department.

The man told the victim that her granddaughter had been arrested and she needed to send bond money immediately.

The sheriff’s department investigated further and found out that there is no Sergeant Roberts.

“The scammer who was acting as a Georgia law enforcement officer was impersonating an officer, there is no Sergeant Roberts at the Clarkesville Police Department,” said Shirley. “Through the investigation, I was able to record the conversation of the gentleman. The telephone number and area code was traced to Canada.”

The victim told Shirley that the scammer knew her name and her granddaughter’s name, and sounded very convincing after saying that he needed the bond money right away.

“He instructed the victim that the quickest way to get the bond secured would be to run by Walmart and purchase gift cards,” said Shirley. “After the purchase of the gift cards, the victim was instructed to call back the scammer with the serial numbers and the victim did indeed call him back.”

The victim did as the scammer asked and he told her that once court was over, the judge indicated that he would drop the charges and the money would be returned.

However, the money was not returned and the victim is out $2,000.
Shirley said they’re continuing this investigation and will seek help from federal authorities because they have recently developed a lead.

Another scam to be aware of in this area deals with a scammer offering a free trip to the Bahamas using local phone numbers.

Shirley said that these scammers are looking to get personal identification information, and they’re using very convincing tactics, so remember to keep your personal info private.