BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – The Broward Sheriff’s Office is warning the public Monday about a resurfaced phone scam in which a criminal calls a victim, claiming to work for the agency, and demands money.
“The scam works like this – an unwitting victim receives a call from someone claiming to be a BSO employee in the agency’s Civil Division,” BSO spokesman Carey Codd explained in a news release. “The scammer tells the victim they missed a court date and a warrant was issued for their arrest. In order to put the arrest warrant on hold or get rid of it altogether, the victim must pay up either with cash or through a payment app.”
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Codd said the public should be aware that neither BSO nor any law enforcement agency will ever call you and ask for money.
“Sadly, this scam is not new,” he said in the news release. “In fact, BSO educated the public on this issue in August 2023. There is also a version of this scam where scammers claimed to be BSO employees at the Broward County courthouse. In these cases, the scammers often use the names of real BSO employees.”
BSO advises the public to immediately hang up and contact law enforcement in the area they live in if they receive a call like this.
They remind the public that in addition to never asking for money for a missed court date, the agency will also never call to obtain personal information, bond money or any form of payment.
For those who live in BSO’s jurisdiction, you may report an incident like this by calling the agency’s non-emergency line at 954-764-HELP (4357).