The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office wants to make the public aware of an ongoing phone scam. Citizens have filed reports stating that a person made a phone call to them and identified himself / herself as a member of the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.

In these documented cases, the scammer claims he / she is a member of the Sheriff’s Office and goes so far as to state a fictitious name and badge number. They tell the person they had an active warrant for a failure to appear in court / jury duty. The person orders their target to pay a certain amount of money in fines to avoid being arrested and taken to jail. The suspect may leave a phone number to call, which leads to a recording claiming to be the Sheriff's Office. This is a fake number. You should only trust numbers you find listed on the Fresno County Sheriff's Office website, www.fresnosheriff.org

The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office wants to make it clear to the public that it never makes solicitations for money or asks for the payment of fines over the phone.

If you receive a similar call, do not give in to the caller’s demands. Please document any information, such as the caller’s name or phone number and report it online by visiting the FSO website.  You may also make a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission by visiting https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/#&panel1-3