Tarrant County Sheriff's Office Issues Scam Alert

The Tarrant County Sheriff's Office is issuing a scam alert due to reports of residents being contacted by individuals posing as law enforcement or other government agencies to demand money.

The sheriff's office posted a video to social media about the scam on Friday afternoon. In the video, Sheriff Bill Waybourn said, "This is a scam alert. We have had a number of people come in just this week that are being scammed over the phone from $500-$30,000. Let me give you a few examples."

Waybourn said one red flag is an unknown person calling and claiming to be from a government agency. "If somebody's calling you from a government agency demanding you go get cash, don't do it," he says. "That's a scam."

He continues, "If somebody tells you to stay on the phone with them while you go get cash, don't do it. That is a scam."

According to Waybourn, other common scams include telling the victim that they missed jury duty and owe a penalty or that a loved one is in legal jeopardy and needs cash immediately to get bonded out of jail.

"If they say that they want you to deposit money on a Bitcoin, that is a scam," he says. "Hang up the phone. Do not talk to those people. Tell them you know it's a scam and we're coming at them."

Waybourn says in the video that the department is actively working to identify the scammers and bring a case against them. "Forward this, like this," he says. "Let's expose these people all over the country."