San Mateo Sheriff Warns of Phone Scam Against Residents

By Bay City News

The San Mateo County sheriff’s office warned residents today to be on the lookout for a telephone scam in which the callers pretend to be a member of the sheriff’s office and then demand money from victims.

Recently, the sheriff’s office obtained reports from community members who say they’ve received phone calls from a man introducing himself as Sgt. Gregory Jacobs and instructing victims to pay money owed for a supposed warrant in their name, sheriff’s officials said.

The caller threatens victims with prosecution if they don’t pay the bogus fee, according to sheriff’s officials. No law enforcement agency would ever contact a resident by telephone to demand payment, with the threat of arrest for failure to comply, sheriff’s officials said.

The sheriff’s office wants to remind members of the public to be vigilant and to never provide personal information, such as social security numbers or credit card information over the phone, unless they themselves initiated the phone call.

Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of the scam should contact their local law enforcement agency, sheriff’s officials said.