Sheriff’s Office alerts islanders to phone scam

||| FROM ZAC REIMER for SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE |||

The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office has received multiple reports from community members that are receiving calls from phone scammers claiming to be officials from the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office. They are telling people that they have a failure to appear for court and to pay money to avoid arrest. The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office would never solicit money from anyone over the phone. There are some circumstances were, if you did have a warrant, you could possibly post the bail, but this would be done in person with the Deputy and never over the phone.

During the investigation we attempted to call the scammers and received a phone call back from someone that claimed to be an official from our agency. When we identified ourselves to the scammer and told him that we also worked for the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office and did not know him, he used offensive language towards us and then hung up the phone. They are using and giving out what appears to be a local number using a 360 area code, but they are likely from out of the area.

We are actively working on investigating and identifying who is responsible for these fraudulent calls. In the meantime, while we investigate these incidents, we would like you to be aware of these calls and it serves as a reminder to always verify who you are talking with before giving out any personal information or money.

You can always verify members of the Sheriff’s Office by calling the posted direct non-emergency dispatch line, 360-378-4151.