The Cameron County Sheriff’s Office is again asking the public to be aware of scam phone calls by someone posing as a deputy and demanding money.
The Cameron County Sheriff’s Office is again asking the public to be aware of scam phone calls by someone posing as a deputy and demanding money.
Sheriff Omar Lucio during a Wednesday news conference said his office received a complaint about a man who identified himself over the phone as a deputy named “Davenport” with the badge number 743. The man told the call recipient he had missed a court date and owed a fine.
Lucio said the scammer demanded the call recipient meet him to pay the fine with a prepaid money card.
The Sheriff’s Office does not have the authority to collect fines for missed court appearances, Lucio said, noting the scammer said he was collecting fines on behalf of both Cameron County and Hidalgo County sheriffs. Anyone who receives a scam phone call should report it to his office with the location the scammer wants to meet.
Cases such as these are difficult to investigate, Lucio said, because scammers use burner phones that are discarded after a short period of time.
“The phones are here today and gone tomorrow,” he said.
Lucio alerted the public to similar scam calls three weeks ago, when a man claiming to be a detective with his office called a woman multiple times and demanded $1,100.
Reports about scam callers can be made to the Cameron County Crime Stoppers line at (956) 350-5551 or 1-866-350-5551.
