Sonoma Co. Scam Alert: 'Capt. Darin Dougherty' Is Not Calling You

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — In the newest telephone scam to hit Sonoma County, a person claiming to be "Captain Darin Dougherty" of the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office is calling residents saying he needs to speak to them about a legal matter — even leaving a phone number for them to reach him, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office cautioned this week.

"This is a real person, not a recording," Sonoma County Sheriff's Spokeswoman Misti Harris said in a news release. "We've received several calls today [Thursday] from local residents who talked to the scammer. One call-back number was 707-406-9703 and there may be others."

According to Harris, while there is a captain Dougherty who does work for the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, he definitely is not making random phone calls about a "legal matter."

The sheriff's office reminded community members they should never provide their bank account or credit-card numbers or any other personal identifying information over the phone to someone who says they are in law enforcement.

"Scammers can disguise their phone numbers to appear to be from local law enforcement on your caller ID," Harris said. "If you receive a suspicious phone call from someone claiming to be in law enforcement, please contact your local law enforcement agency to confirm the information you are given."