Staff Report
HAYS COUNTY – The Hays County Sheriff’s Office responded to several scam reports recently, which is something that residents should pay close attention to.
This week, a resident received a call from a local number. The caller identified themselves as an employee of the Sheriff’s Office using a real employee’s name and upon call back, the voicemail answered as “Hays County Sheriff’s Department Warrant and Citation Division”.
Scammers often obtain names from staff directories and pose as those employees while soliciting money in the form of cash, gift cards, or other payments, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Scammers will “spoof” the phone number presented on caller ID and make it appear that the call is coming from a legitimate business. However, recent scam calls have been coming from a 737 area code, which is a new area code in the San Marcos area, but all of Hays County Sheriff’s Office numbers have a 512 area code.
The Hays County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind residents that no legitimate business will ever request nor demand payment by gift card. If anyone requests payment by gift card, it is best to hang up and block the number from future contact.
How to avoid common scams
Listed below are 10 tips from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that can help.
1. Spot imposters.
Scammers often pretend to be someone you trust, like a government official, a family member, a charity or a company you…
