TAMPA, Fla. (WWSB) – The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about an ongoing phone scam in which callers pose as law enforcement and pressure victims into handing over money.
In a recent case, 24-year-old Hillsborough County resident Madeleine Wessel received a call from someone claiming to be an employee with the Sheriff’s Office. She was then transferred to a person who said he was a deputy, a tactic that investigators say scammers use to appear legitimate.
The callers kept Wessel on the phone and urged her to act immediately, directing her to drive to an ATM at a local gas station to withdraw cash, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
A business owner at the gas station recognized the warning signs and intervened. He told deputies he encounters similar situations nearly every week: customers on the phone, visibly upset, trying to withdraw large sums of money for someone they have never met who claims to be with law enforcement.
Investigators say the scams typically follow a similar script. Callers may claim the victim has missed jury duty, has an active warrant, or that a family member has been arrested or injured and needs money right away.
The suspects frequently use spoofed caller ID to make it appear the call is coming from a law enforcement agency or bank, deputies said. They often insist the victim remain on the line and demand payment by cash, gift cards or wire transfers — methods that are difficult to trace and rarely recoverable.
“The Sheriff’s Office will never call to collect or ask for money,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement. “If something doesn’t feel right, hang up. No one will ever fault you for hanging up on a scammer.”
The Sheriff’s Office wants the community to be aware of the following: HCSO will never call demanding payment to avoid arrest and will never request cash, gift cards or wire transfers. If a caller instructs you to stay on the line while you go to a bank or ATM, it is a scam and you should hang up immediately.
Residents are urged to be cautious of calls that transfer them between agencies, scammers use this tactic to appear legitimate. They should verify any claim by contacting the agency or bank directly using a phone number found independently, not one provided by the caller.
If a caller claims a family member is in trouble, the Sheriff’s Office advises hanging up and contacting that family member or another relative directly. HCSO says it would never handle warrants and arrests over the phone.
Anyone who believes they have been targeted by a scam is encouraged to report it to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office non-emergency line at 813-247-8200.
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