Sheriff warns citizens of new scam | Crime

Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster is warning citizens of a new scam.

According to Foster, the scam artists are calling or emailing people and identifying themselves as being with the Sheriff’s Office and with the FBI.

Foster says the scammer then tells the potential victim that they are in trouble with law enforcement and that if they will send money, law enforcement will drop their charges.

The Sheriff said that law enforcement does not handle criminal charges by telephone, and that if you are in trouble with law enforcement you can rest assured that you will receive a visit from a law enforcement officer.

He added that no legitimate law enforcement officer or agency would ever be willing to accept money to dismiss criminal charges.

According to Foster, the office has received several complaints of attempted scams of this type, but is not aware of anyone who has sent money.

If you receive a call from someone attempting this or any other scam, please hang up and contact your local law enforcement agency immediately.

“We want our citizens to be armed with the most up to date information on current trends and scams at work in and around our community,” said Sheriff Foster. “We want to provide them with the information to prevent becoming a victim of crime because often once the money is sent it becomes nearly impossible to ever recover their loss.”

If you are ever unsure about someone you are dealing with contact your local law enforcement agency before taking any action. A legitimate business will never mind you checking them out, but you may just save yourself a lot of money, time, and heartache.