Alleged Scammers Pose as Lawmen, Try to Extort Cash

Scammers posing as Camden County Sheriff's Department employees have been targeting locals with a phone scam in recent weeks, threatening arrests if the targets don't pay up, Camden County Prosecutor Warren W. Faulk said.

At least two incidents, including one Tuesday, have been reported to authorities since September, Faulk said, though neither person targeted lost any money in the scam attempts.

In both cases, Faulk said, scammers used software to spoof the caller ID system and make it seem as though the calls were coming from the sheriff, and used the name of a high-ranking sheriff's officer in making their threats.

The scammers told their targets there were warrants out against them, Faulk said, and threatened arrests if the targets didn't pay fines, though neither victim actually owed anything or had a warrant out against them.

In one of the calls, the victim offered to pay by credit card, Faulk said, but the scammers demanded payment either via money order or debit card, and directed the victim to call a Florida number, 904-352-8730, which has also been cited in a similar scam in Pope County, FL.

Both victims became suspicious, Faulk said, checked with the actual Camden County Sheriff's Department and didn't actually pay anything to the scammers.

Trying to track down the scammers themselves is a difficult process, Faulk said, and he warned residents to be wary of similar calls, noting the Sheriff's Department doesn't resolve warrants over the phone and won't ever ask for payment via a call.