The Orange County Sheriff’s Office wants to bring awareness to a phone scam that we highlighted back in April of this year. We have seen an uptick in these types of crime and want to alert the citizens. Here’s how this works: The suspect calls the victim pretending to be a law enforcement officer. They tell the victim that they have missed jury duty or have a bench warrant. They then tell the victim that if they want to stay out of jail they have to pay a cash bond and request payment over the phone. In current cases that have been reported, the suspect identified himself as a Captain with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. The suspects are spoofing the main line of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office: (407) 254-7000.
Here’s what we need the community to know: The Orange County Sheriff’s Office WILL NOT call a person and ask for payment in lieu of arrest. Unfortunately, people have been fooled by this scam and we want to spread awareness and put a stop to this.
Earlier this year, Sheriff Demings along with Chief Judge Frederick Lauten commissioned a Public Service Announcement.
Please follow this link for video: https://youtu.be/7_mPdnqC3Yc