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Smith County Sheriff’s Office warns residents to be aware of recent telephone scam

SMITH COUNTY, Texas (KETK) – The Smith County Sheriff’s Office has recently been made aware of a new scam in the area.

According to officials, the caller will say you have missed a court summons and have a warrant out for your arrest. The caller will then request payment over the phone by giving you specific instructions.

The sheriff’s office warns you these calls are a scam and you should simply hang up the telephone. Lately, these scammers have been using the name of Sgt. Kevin Mobley of the Tyler Police Department, say officials.

“Several other investigators and law enforcement officials have been named in the past including myself.”

Sgt. Larry Christian – Smith County Sheriff’s Office

Per officials, at no time will anyone from the Smith County Sheriff’s Office randomly call anyone and ask for money. No law enforcement agency will ever accept a bond or any other form of payment from anyone concerning a criminal, traffic, or civil charge.

Do not allow yourself to be victimized by these scam artists. If you have any family members or friends who could likely fall for these scams pass this information along to them and if anyone ever calls you claiming to be from a law enforcement agency and asks for money, hang up the telephone.

You can verify any questionable calls by calling your local Sheriff’s Office or Police Department. You can reach the Smith County Sheriff’s Office at (903) 566-6600. The Sheriff’s Office also has a FB page and can be followed on Twitter at @SmithCSO.