PRESS RELEASE

Campbell County Sheriff's Office Cautions Citizens of Increased Phone Scams: Advises Public to Simply Hang Up

RUSTBURG, VA - The Campbell County Sheriff’s Office has received reports of a recent phone scam involving someone posing as a local law enforcement professional.  In this particular scam, the caller advises that they are Sgt. Gary Penn, who is known for his work both as a School Resource Officer and in the Community Relations and Crime Prevention Division, advising that the recipient has outstanding warrants and must pay for them, or risk arrest.
 
Captain Sam Green, with the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office, has offered the previous tips when it comes to scam calls:

• Law enforcement agencies will never ask you for any amount of money over the phone.  If this happens, it is FRAUDULENT.
• Do not give out personal information and never pay with a credit card over the phone.
• Hang up on robocalls.
• Do not wire or make electronic money transfers to an unknown person.
• Do not believe your caller I.D., as scammers can fake caller I.D. numbers using a process called “spoofing.”.

"We are encouraging citizens to be super-cautious, especially during the holidays.  If you answer a call like this, just don't share any information with the caller, personal or otherwise" said Captain Green. "If you think a caller is falsely representing law enforcement, hang up and call us directly at (434) 332-9580 to find out if we need anything from you.  Never, ever share sensitive information over the phone with anyone, no matter who they say they are."
 
If you think you have been a victim of any kind of phone scam, please report it to the law enforcement organizations shown below:

• The Federal Trade Commission is the primary government agency that collects scam complaints. Report to the Federal Trade Commission online: https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/, or by phone: 1-877-382-4357.
• Report caller ID spoofing to the Federal Communications Commission online: https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us, or by phone: 1-888-225-5322.

If you have been a victim of identity theft, visit https://identitytheft.gov/ for information on how to report it.

To learn more about common scams: https://www.usa.gov/common-scams-frauds#item-3720.

Any further information pertaining to this incident will be published as an update.