HORRY COUNTY S.C. (WBTW) — Scammers have been hard at work impersonating Horry County sheriff’s deputies in recent weeks, authorities said.
Several people have called the sheriff’s office claiming to have been scammed by people posting as deputies.
Sheriff Phillip Thompson said his office received 25 calls about the scam on Monday alone. One person reported losing $10,000.
The scammers have been brazen, using the sheriff’s office’s phone number and the names of deputies who work for the department.
“They’ll tell them they’ve missed jury duty and that there’s a warrant for their arrest and if they’ll go somewhere and get a certain amount of money and send them the money, then the bond will be lifted,” Thompson said.
There are some key red flags to look out for, Thompson said. There’s usually a sense of urgency to pay money forward or threats that a person could go to jail. They also want people to pay using different money outlets such as Bitcoin, CashApp, Zelle or any prepaid card.