LCSO warns public of phone scams

The Laurens County Sheriff’s Office is warning the public once again about phone scams in which callers impersonate deputies in order to take money and information from them.

“Remember- LCSO will not call you about active warrants and ask you to pay a fine,” the LCSO said in a social media post. “These scammers will often ask you to obtain a gift card or another method of electronic transfer. When in doubt, call us!”

In its post, the LCSO identified several current phone scams:

Grandparent scam – Scammers pretend to be a grandchild and claim to be in dire financial need, asking to wire money or obtain a gift card.

Deputy impersonation – The caller poses as an LCSO deputy, even using the name of a real employee and stating that the person on the call has an active warrant. The call says that a fine must be paid to avoid jail time.

Jury Duty scam – The caller claims the person on the phone has not reported for jury duty and must pay a fine immediately in order to avoid arrest.

Anyone with questions or concerns about potential scams can call the LCSO at 864-984-4967.