Starke County Sheriff’s Office has recently shared a scam alert, sharing that their Dispatch has received multiple reports of a phone scam involving a man posing as a Lieutenant named Trevor Jones.
He is calling from 574-970-3083 and falsely claiming that you or your family members have federal warrants. He then instructs victims to go to Walmart and purchase a Green Dot card to pay the “warrant.”
Starke County Sheriff’s Office warns that this is a scam, and not to send the money. They state that scammers can be very convincing — they could possibly have your name, address, or family details.
To protect yourself, be wary of unsolicited calls, especially if they pressure you or try to impart a sense of urgency. They rely on your panic to get you to send money without thinking. Don’t automatically trust caller ID — scammers can spoof numbers, or make a different number appear on the caller ID than the one they’re actually calling from.
Never share personal information like social security numbers, bank details, or credit card details.
Hang up on any robo calls, or any call demanding any type of gift card payment from you.
If there are doubts about the validity of a phone call, you can always hang up and call the official number for an organization to verify claims.
Starke County Sheriff’s Office instructs citizens to block and report suspicious numbers, register your phone with the Do Not Call Registry, and use apps to block robocalls. Scams can be reported to the FTC or the FCC.
If you suspect you’ve been scammed, contact your bank or credit card company immediately. Freeze your credit and monitor your accounts. Report the scam to local law enforcement, and get help from groups like the Identity Theft Resource Center.
