Gulf Breeze Chief of Police Rick Hawthorne says his agency has responded to multiple reports of scammers posing as Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office law enforcement officers, claiming there was an arrest warrant due to the victim allegedly missing jury duty.
“This is the second or third report we’ve taken,” Hawthorne told South Santa Rosa News.
The most recent victim was contacted via phone by a person pretending to be a sergeant with Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, asking for $750 for failure to appear and $750 for contempt of court for cash bond for the warrants, else face arrest. The victim initially sent $750 via Venmo but refused to send any more money after becoming concerned it was a scam.
The victim then called GBPD to report the incident, and a search revealed the victim did not have any active warrants with SRSO.
The case is being forwarded to investigations.
“Definity do not pay, I do not believe any LEO uses venom or cash cards,” said Chief Hawthorne. “If in doubt, always verify by calling the agency. Do not use a number the fraudster gives you – look it up and call.” Hawthorne says person cannot get out of a warrant being served without going to the sheriffs office and being processed.
