BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – A Bexar County man was scammed out of $8,000 in approximately two hours as thieves kept him on the phone and instructed him to follow directions.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar is asking residents to be on alert for scam calls involving people claiming to represent a law enforcement agency or county government office.
“His caller ID showed Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, and when you call that number, it rings at the courthouse,” Salazar said. “So they’re spoofing numbers is what they’re doing. In some instances, they’ll tell the people to report to 200 North Comal, which is the address of the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office headquarters. It’s here at the jail. But before they get there, they’ll actually get a second call and redirect them elsewhere.”
A woman, who wanted to go by “Dee” because she was nearly a victim, spoke with KSAT. Dee said she received a call from two men claiming to be with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
“He said, ‘I was subpoenaed on Feb. 1st,’ and I had missed that court date,” Dee said.
She said the men then took advantage of her fear and used words like “arrest warrant,” “federal jury trial” and “gag order” to hold her on the phone for nearly an hour.
“I felt violated and scared,” Dee said. “I felt scared because, I mean, nobody wants to go to jail. No one wants to feel like they did anything wrong.”
The men had answers for everything, were professional sounding and worked to keep her calm. But Dee realized it was a scam when she was told to get two forms of identification and drive to a location alone.
Salazar said law enforcement agencies don’t call people who have warrants or outstanding court fees. He urges people to slow down when a stranger on the phone is giving them instructions especially if it involves money. He also suggested residents hang up and call the agency directly to confirm any outstanding charges.