The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office alerted residents to be on the lookout for phone scams after an incident was reported in which a suspect attempted to solicit money from a San Carlos resident while posing as a sheriff's deputy.
According to the information, last January 15, the alleged victim received a call from a man, who identified himself as a real agent, arguing that there were two outstanding arrest warrants for two thousand dollars.
During the phone call, the scammer asked the victim to deposit the said amount on a MoneyPak card at a CVS pharmacy or any Walmart convenience store, and after doing so, to provide the password on the back of the plastic.
It should be noted that these reloadable debit cards are legitimate and can be used to pay bills. Many people who use them do not have bank accounts.
Fraudsters love them because they are more convenient than a wire transfer and impossible to trace; and once they have the MoneyPak serial number, they can transfer funds to a prepaid debit card.
The victim was not surprised and reported the call to the Sheriff's Office, which decided to disclose the modus operandi of this type of scam.
This is not the first time this situation has occurred in the county, said the authority, who added that the Sheriff's Office would never and has never called people to ask for money, so they asked all those residents who receive or have received such calls to contact the local police.
"Please be advised that San Mateo County Sheriff's deputies do NOT call you if you have a warrant for your arrest. Anyone contacted by phone regarding a warrant or someone claiming to be with the Sheriff's Office and asking for money should hang up and call 650.363.4911 to report it," the authority said on its social media.
These types of scams have also been reported in different parts of the Bay Area, where it has been reported that they receive a call and are told that they owe taxes, fees or fines to the IRS, and that if they do not make an immediate payment with a MoneyPak card, they will be arrested or deported.
This offense is perpetrated in the same manner as a utility scam. The results are also the same, the victim's money is stolen.
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