LUBBOCK, Texas — A woman in Lubbock was scammed out of money, according to a police report, when someone called her and claimed to be a sheriff’s deputy. A second person who talked to the woman claimed to be the deputy’s supervisor.
“[The victim] was led to believe that [she] did not reply to a federal jury summons and [the caller] would execute the warrant unless [the victim] made a ‘deposit,’” the police report said.
The person posing as a deputy asked the victim to make a deposit through a Bitcoin machine. She then deposited money Monday afternoon into a machine at a convenience store in the 2300 block of 19th Street.
Related story: LCSO warns public about impersonation scam in Lubbock
The police report referred to the situation as a scam. The report did not describe how the victim came to realize something was wrong before talking to police.
At the request of EverythingLubbock.com, the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office issued a statement Wednesday.
“The Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office or any other law enforcement agency will never notify any person(s) by phone or by text regarding a warrant and will certainly never request or demand payment over the phone,” LCSO said.
LCSO said if ever in doubt about someone claiming to be a law enforcement officer – demanding money or wanting personal information – call the non-emergency number at 806-775-1601.
“We highly encourage citizens not to give any personal information over the phone to anyone they are not familiar with,” LCSO said. “These calls are SCAMS!”
