The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office has received a report of attempted telephone fraud involving a caller claiming to be a Sheriff’s Deputy.The caller claimed that someone in the household had an unpaid traffic ticket. The caller knew the correct name of the resident, but did not appear to possess any personally identifiable information. The caller attempted to get the victim to purchase a pre-paid re-loadable money card and then provide the “deputy” with the card number over the phone to settle the fine.The Evansville Police Department received a similar complaint and both agencies are now investigating. This attempted fraud is similar to a scam reported to us last July.The Sheriff’s Office does not solicit the payment of fines or fees on behalf of the court. Area residents are advised to treat any unsolicited caller who requests payment or access to personally identifiable information with extreme skepticism, regardless of who the caller claims to represent. When in doubt get the caller’s name, hang up, and then call the business or government entity back at a phone number you know to be correct.
