Rice County Sheriff Issues Scam Alert

Rice County Sheriff Troy Dunn says over the past week a number of residents received phone calls from scammers identifying themselves as Sheriff's Office staff and stating they are following up on legal action.  They say you failed to appear for jury duty and the judge has issued a warrant for your arrest.  They then offer you the opportunity to pay your fine or bail over the phone by giving them a credit card number or a bank account number.

They use former and current staff names as well as current judges names in these calls. Dunn emphasizes "This is a hoax."  He adds, "If this were real we would not offer to let you pay a fine or bail over the phone, you would get a personal visit by a real deputy."

The Sheriff also noted, "The caller ID being used is a valid non-emergency phone number, but the call-back number is a different number being answered by non-Rice County Sheriff's Office staff.

Dunn urges us,  "Not to give any personal information over the phone.  Call our non-emergency number 507-334-4391 to confirm if we really have legitimate officials Sheriff's Office business.  Please share this scam information with your friends and family so they don't become a victim of this crime."