Berkeley County, South Carolina. — Scammers are impersonating the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office and collecting bogus penalties for claiming individuals have missed jury duty, the genuine sheriff’s office warned on Tuesday.
The BCSO stated that scam callers have been presenting themselves as sheriff’s office officers, using the names of members of the agency’s command staff to appear legitimate, and spoofing the actual BCSO phone number.
“If you receive one of these calls, hang up immediately,” Sheriff Duane Lewis said. “No deputy or staff member from our office will ever contact you to collect payment. If you are concerned about a prospective warrant, please contact us directly.
Anyone who receives a strange call from someone claiming to be from the sheriff’s office, even if it appears to be from the legitimate phone number, should not supply any personal or financial information and instead report the incident to the proper sheriff’s office at 843-719-4412.
