EUGENE, Ore. — The community continues to be targeted by phone scammers identifying themselves as employees of the Lane County Sheriff’s Office, typically claiming to be sergeants, the Sheriff’s Office reports. Scammers have in the past also used text and email.
Scammers claim there are warrants, missed jury duty, or unsettled legal issues. They may also offer to take bail money so family members in our jail may be released. Scammers then ask for payment or personal information, often threatening arrest. They usually offer to take payment digitally, through cryptocurrency, phone apps, or at a kiosk.
In some instances, the scammers appear to call from official phone numbers or provide fraudulent callback numbers with official-sounding voicemail inboxes. They often already have some personal information based on the phone number they called…