Grinches Are Trying An Old Scam This Holiday

TCSO photo

Sonora, CA – Keep an eye out for the Christmas grinches who appear every year around the holidays in an attempt to give themselves a gift of your hard-earned money.

Tuolumne County Sheriff’s officials have put out this community scam alert: “We have recently been made aware of a scam affecting Tuolumne County residents where a scammer is calling and identifying themselves as a Lieutenant Bridges from the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office, and attempting to gain money from residents by telling them they missed court and must pay to avoid arrest or a warrant.”

Sheriff’s spokesperson Ashley Boujikian cautions, “We want to remind everyone that the sheriff’s office will never ask you to pay money in order to avoid an arrest or warrant.”

Boujikian adds that one way to beat the grinches at their own game is to simply hang up and call the sheriff’s dispatch line at 209-533-5815 to find out if you are being scammed.