Another Phone Scam Circulating In Santa Barbara

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office issued a warning about yet another phone scam in Santa Barbara.

Dispatchers are fielding hundreds of calls from people who say they have been victimized.

The scammers claim to be from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office or a lawyer’s office.

They use several tactics to try to scare the victim into wiring them money.

In some cases, the callers claim a warrant has been issued because the victim didn’t show up for jury duty or they tell the victim that a criminal lawsuit has been filed against them.

It may seem legitimate because the scammers know the victim’s name, home and work address.

Kelly Hoover of the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department says, sometimes the scammers even manipulate the caller ID.

“We’ve even had cases where the calls appears to be coming through the Sheriff’s Office. It’s our phone number,” Hoover said.

The Sheriff Office wants to make the public aware that it never asks for financial information over the phone.

Authorities also won’t call if you have a warrant out for your arrest.

The Sheriff’s Office says phone scammers are trying a lot of different ways to trick people into thinking they are in trouble or owe money.

If you get a call like this, you’re urged to hang up the phone and report the incident to the Sheriff’s Office.