Warrant Scam Aimed At Local Doctors
Four local doctors have reportedly been targeted by someone posing as a Bell County Sheriff's deputy and trying to scam money.
According to our news partner KWTX, these doctors received calls instructing them to purchase Green Dot cash cards in order to settle arrests warrants.
The Bell County Sheriff's Office received six calls on Monday from different doctors asking whether their names were attached to any recent arrest warrants. Each one of the doctors said the caller introduced himself as James Marshall, and claimed to be a deputy of Bell County.
The caller advised the doctors to travel to the OfficeMax store in Temple, and buy a Green Dot card. Victims of the investigators said they were to stay on the phone with Marshall as they were in route to get the card. Once the card was purchased, they were to give Marshall the numbers that were on the Green Dot card.
Marshall told the doctors, once the prepaid cards could be verified, he would meet them at the Sheriff's Department. Once the doctors told Marshall they would be unable to make it, he hung up.
Bell County Sheriff, Maj. T.J. Cruz said, "The person advised each caller that there were warrants of arrest on each for not appearing for a jury summons." Cruz said there is no Bell County deputy by the name of James Marshall.
We've reported on similar scams in the past, including an instance of Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody calling a scammer posing as a deputy for his department back in August. (See the video here.)
If anyone ever calls you claiming to be from a law enforcement or government agency (such as the IRS) and demanding money, it's most likely a scam. If you're suspicious, ask the caller for a phone number you can call to verify they are who they say they are, or tell them you will hang up and call their agency back.