GREENE COUNTY, Tenn. — The Greene County Sheriff's Department is warning people about a scam in the area, tricking people into giving scammers money.
They said the scammers lie to victims and tell them they missed court dates, jury duty or have warrants issued for their arrest. The scammer tells them that they owe fines and says they need to pay those fines with a prepaid card.
Officials said the scammer uses background noises like a police scanner to appear legitimate, and may even use real officers' names. The scammer also gives victims a callback number that, when called, sounds like a legitimate system from GCSD.
Officials with the sheriff's department said that the scammers have tricked people this way for years across the U.S. but recently targeted law enforcement agencies in East Tennessee, including the Cocke County Sheriff's Office.
They reminded people that legitimate law enforcement would never call someone and demand payment over the phone. They asked people to hang up if they receive this call from scammers.