Scammers Preying On Tuolumne County

Sonora, CA – A scam warning from local law enforcement.  Scammers have contacted several Tuolumne County residents today attempting to scare them into wiring thousands of dollars to stay out of jail.

“We have received about 10 calls in 20 minutes on this scam,” says Tuolumne County Sheriff’s spokesperson Sgt.  Scott Johnson.  “They [scammers] identify blocks of numbers in a certain area, and for whatever reason, it’s Tuolumne County’s time when they are trying to get a hold of a large amount of people.”

Those who called the sheriff’s office say that the scammer identifies himself as being with the Treasury Department and threatens legal action or jail time if money is not immediately wired.

“They [scammer] tell the resident they  didn’t attend jury duty or uses some other ruse to get them [resident] to send $5,000 or more to keep themselves out of jail,” says Sgt. Johnson.

This is not something any law enforcement agency would do, according to Johnson, who warns the public to never send money to anyone you do not know.  His best advice is to hang up and report the scam.