BELL COUNTY, Texas — The Bell County Sheriff's Department issued a warning Wednesday morning about a scam involving a person or persons who pose as a sheriff's deputy.
A person who identifies themselves as Lieutenant Nelson sends emails or instant messages to people telling them they have a criminal charge against them or a warrant for their arrest, according to the sheriff's department. The message advises the person to send money in various different ways.
The sheriff's department said not only do they not have a Lieutenant Nelson, they would also never contact anyone through email, messenger or over the phone to discuss a criminal case.
Anyone who receives one of these messages should not respond and delete it.
"In some instances, merely replying can allow access to your computer, allowing the person who sent the email or message the ability to capture your personal and financial information that you have stored on that device," the sheriff's department said. "These emails and messages are being sent across numerous IP addresses making it very difficult, and in most cases, impossible for us to track back to the original sender."
The sheriff's department said anyone who wants to report one of these messages can call 254-933-5412.
