Sheriff Issues Warning of Phone Scam Alert Sept. 19, 2016.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2016.

PRESS RELEASE

Scam Alert:

The Parker County Sheriff’s Office has recently received several fraudulent reports of scammers contacting individuals claiming to be a Sheriff’s Office employee.

A recent victim reported the scammer contacted him by phone, identifying himself as “Parker County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Riddle.”

In one reported incident, the suspect contacted the victim on a land-line and requested a cell phone number from the victim. The suspect disconnected the phone call and called the victim’s cell phone number, informing the victim that the victim had missed a grand jury appearance and he now owed $500.

The suspect then advised the victim to go to Dollar General and purchase five $100 money cards. The suspect then advised the victim to scratch off the silver security stripe on the back of the cards and read the numbers out loud over the phone to the suspect. The suspect then directed the victim to return to the store and purchase five additional money cards. The victim then returned to the same store to purchase five additional cards. The store clerk advised the victim that it appeared to be a scam. The victim told the suspect he would be going to the Parker County Sheriff’s Office and would give the cards to a deputy there. The suspect then stated the victim would have a warrant for his arrest waiting for him at the Sheriff’s Office, and abruptly hung up.

The number the suspect called the victim from is **(817) 357-6726**.

Parker County Sheriff Larry Fowler stated the Sheriff’s Office does not have a “Lt. Riddle,” on staff.

“The Sheriff’s Office will never contact anyone seeking payment for a missed grand jury date,” Sheriff’ Fowler said. “This is definitely a scam. The suspects do their homework. They know the name of the victims because certain arrest and court records are considered public by law. These records are available online, and using this information, their fictitious story seems believable.”

Anyone with concerns about possibly falling prey to a scam is encouraged to immediately report the incident and verify the caller’s identity and authenticity.