In Volusia County, scammers are impersonating law enforcement officers, threatening residents with jail time if they do not pay money, prompting a warning from Sheriff Mike Chitwood.”The scammers are good, they catch you on your heels,” said Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood, expressing his frustration over the situation. He emphasized that the sheriff’s office does not operate in the manner the scammers suggest. “We do not come to your house and arrest you if you miss jury duty; we do not come to your house and tell you we can reduce your charges if you can give us x number of dollars. That is not how it works,” Chitwood said.Currently, one scammer is impersonating Chief Deputy Brian Henderson, the sheriff’s second in command. A recorded message falsely claims to be from Henderson, saying, “Yes, ugh, this is Chief Deputy Brian Henderson, Volusia County Sheriff’s Department. I need you to give me a call back.”Chitwood explained that using real names gives the scammers a sense of legitimacy. “It gives them validity because they check, do a cursory search, Google, and those names are going to come up. Think about this logically, why would the Chief of an organization call you up and ask for $5,000 and $10,000. Why?” he said.To protect themselves, Chitwood advised residents to simply hang up the phone. “Take ten seconds to hang up the phone, even if they are telling you not to, that’s all you got to do to protect yourself,” he said.Chitwood also had a message for the scammers: “Do you have a message for these guys? Yeah, if we track you down, we’re going to get your “Ironically, the very place scammers threaten to send their victims—jail—could be where the scammers themselves end up. Sheriff Chitwood noted that many of these scam calls originate from a prison in Georgia, where inmates use the money to buy snacks and clothes. Despite his pleas to government officials in Georgia to stop the calls, they continue.
In Volusia County, scammers are impersonating law enforcement officers, threatening residents with jail time if they do not pay money, prompting a warning from Sheriff Mike Chitwood.
“The scammers are good, they catch you on your heels,” said Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood, expressing his frustration over the situation.
He emphasized that the sheriff’s office does not operate in the manner the scammers suggest.
“We do not come to your house and arrest you if you miss jury duty; we do not come to your house and tell you we can reduce your charges if you can give us x number of dollars. That is not how it works,” Chitwood said.
Currently, one scammer is impersonating Chief Deputy Brian Henderson, the sheriff’s second in command.
A recorded message falsely claims to be from Henderson, saying, “Yes, ugh, this is Chief Deputy Brian Henderson, Volusia County Sheriff’s Department. I need you to give me a call back.”
Chitwood explained that using real names gives the scammers a sense of legitimacy.
“It gives them validity because they check, do a cursory search, Google, and those names are going to come up. Think about this logically, why would the Chief of an organization call you up and ask for $5,000 and $10,000. Why?” he said.
To protect themselves, Chitwood advised residents to simply hang up the phone.
“Take ten seconds to hang up the phone, even if they are telling you not to, that’s all you got to do to protect yourself,” he said.
Chitwood also had a message for the scammers: “Do you have a message for these guys? Yeah, if we track you down, we’re going to get your [expletive.]”
Ironically, the very place scammers threaten to send their victims—jail—could be where the scammers themselves end up.
Sheriff Chitwood noted that many of these scam calls originate from a prison in Georgia, where inmates use the money to buy snacks and clothes.
Despite his pleas to government officials in Georgia to stop the calls, they continue.