Message from the sheriff - Scams

 

ATTENTION:

The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office will NEVER call you over the phone or email you demanding money for anything. That is not how we operate. If you ever receive a phone call requesting or demanding money, do not provide ANY personal information to the caller and immediately hang up.

No matter how real it may seem or how legitimate the phone number, caller, request, etc. may sound, you can always hang up and call the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office directly at 352-955-1818 (Non-Emergency number) to verify the claims before ever providing a gift card, credit card, surety bond, money order, etc. to an entity.

These scams have been ongoing for years and rise and fall in their popularity. Recently, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office has received phone calls from citizens (near and far) verifying phone calls they have received. Each time, we explain that a government agency will not request of someone to purchase a gift card from a store and mail it or provide the gift card number to us over the phone.

Never. Ever.

Many of these scams have become more sophisticated over time and have begun utilizing the names and identities of actual members in the Law Enforcement community. For example, one of the most commonly used names recently is of our very own Chief Deputy, Colonel David Huckstep. We can assure you that a high ranking Law Enforcement official will never be calling a phone list to solicit and claim you owe money for something that has gone unpaid.

Please do not become a victim of these types of scams.

Always verify by calling 352-955-1818 or your local Law Enforcement agency.

 

 

THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT RELAUNCHED THE "IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING CAMPAIGN.

Officials encourage anyone who sees suspicious activity to report it to local authorities or call I-855-FLA-SAFE (1-855-352-7233).  It can also be reported online through FDLE’s website at www.fdle.state.fl.us. 

 

Hometown Security Fact Sheet

National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin

 

Sheriff Sadie Darnell

 

 

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