Authorities warn public of impostors posing as sheriff's deputies
The scammer said to go to Walmart to pay his fines.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Law enforcement officials are warning everyone about a scam that sounds convincing and has already ensnared several victims. Impostors posing as sheriff’s deputies are demanding money to avoid jail time.
Justin Holder, a Rutherford County resident, recently received one of these calls but recognized it as a scam thanks to previous news coverage.
Holder was shaken after getting a call from someone claiming to be Sgt. Shawn Jones from the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office. The caller alleged that Holder owed money for an outstanding warrant due to failing to appear in court.
“There was some kind of background noise, scanner to a radio, so everything sounded completely legitimate,” Holder said.
Initially convinced the call was real, he asked for a badge number and documentation.
“He had an answer immediately for everything, and nothing rattled him,” Holder added.
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The phone call took a questionable turn when the man, claiming to be Sgt. Jones, instructed Holder to go to Walmart to pay his fines worth $2,000. Holder offered to go to the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office to sort things out but was told he would be arrested immediately.
“So I said, ‘So you send felons and all these people into a public place, into a Walmart to make their payment?’ And he said, ‘That’s the way that it goes because you cannot come on property,’” Holder recounted.
Holder then searched the sergeant’s name online and saw an article posted by WSMV4 in April warning about the scam.
“So on the call I said, ‘Sir, I’m reading a news piece from Channel 4 that this is a total scam.’ He said, ‘Have a good day.’ And hung up.”
Anyone who receives a phone call like this is encouraged to hang up and call the police. Authorities emphasize that deputies will never ask for money for civil or criminal warrants.
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