Paulding Sheriff Warns Of Phone Court-Date Scam

DALLAS, GA — Phone scammers are using the real names of sheriff's deputies to try to con people out of money, the Paulding County Sheriff's Office says.

Paulding Sheriff Gary Gulledge is warning residents to beware of the scam, which has been well documented in many places but has been going around Paulding County recently.

On the calls, scammers say that the receiver of the call has missed a court date. They go on to say that the receiver may pay a fine to avoid being arrested and going to jail.

This is never how the sheriff's office handles missed court dates, the Paulding office said in a Facebook post.

"The Paulding County Sheriff's Office, nor any other law enforcement agency, will ever call you and solicit money for anything," the post reads.

Scammers often learn details about real law enforcement offices to make their calls seem more real. On Facebook, a post said that scammers have been using the names of real Paulding County deputies in an effort to seem more legitimate.

Law enforcement officials encourage anyone who receives a scam attempt phone call to report it to their local authorities.

Photo courtesy Paulding County Sheriff's Office