The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office is warning of a scam that is currently being reported throughout Greenville County and the Upstate. The GCSO reminds citizens that law enforcement officers will never take funds or fines in lieu of warrant service, and that any and all court fines or fees are processed in person by the issuing court.
The GCSO has received numerous reports of citizens being contacted by a subject posing as a Lt. John Williams with the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office in the Warrants Division. This subject is claiming that the persons he is calling have outstanding bench warrants for either failing to make a court appearance (usually regarding a traffic ticket) or failing to appear for a jury duty summons.
The subject instructs the victims that an officer is on the way to their residence to serve a bench warrant on the victim unless the victim will provide a prepaid reloadable card with sufficient funds to cover the fictitious fine and court costs. He will also instruct victims to provide the funding information on the back of the card for record keeping purchases, then take the pre-paid card to the general sessions court house to avoid prosecution.
This is a known SCAM. Once the victim has given the funding information on the back of the card to these scammers, the scammers have access to the funds on the card.
The GCSO reminds citizens that law enforcement officers will NEVER take funds or fines in lieu of warrant service, and that any and all court fines or fees are processed in person by the issuing court.
Never provide anyone claiming to be law enforcement with either wire transfers or reloadable card funds over the phone.
If you have receive a suspicious call, please contact your local law enforcement agency.
