BELL COUNTY, Texas — The Bell County Sheriff's Department said Friday it was investigating 10 cases of someone posing as law enforcement and threatening to fine or arrest them if they don't pay fines for missing jury duty or for check fraud.
The sheriff's department said the person will pose as either a "sergeant" or an "investigator" and tell the potential victim to buy gift cards usually worth more than $500. The cards could be for iTunes, a Visa card or for Walmart. The caller then tells the potential victim to call back to an 800 number, according to the sheriff's office.
Once the person calls, the sheriff's department said the scammers get the information on the gift cards and pay their fines. The sheriff's department said the victim will sometimes be told the payment didn't go through and he or she will need to get another card and call back.
In each case, the sheriff's department said the scammers will threaten to arrest the person if they don't pay.
The number from which the scammers are calling is from Bell County. They don't tell the victim if they are with any agency. They just call themselves a sergeant or investigator with various names, according to the sheriff's department.
The sheriff's department said they've had 10 cases in two months.
