LANCASTER, SC — The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office says a scammer is targeting local dentist office employees by requesting payment to avoid arrest.
Deputies say the scammer has called several offices throughout the county claiming to be Lt. Shaw or Lt. Upshaw with the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office. The scammer then asks for a specific employee, and says they must issue a payment on a ‘green dot’ card to avoid arrest on outstanding warrants.
Officials say the calls are not legitimate, and, although the undersheriff is Major Matt Shaw, the LCSO does not employ a “Lt. Shaw” or “Lt. Upshaw.”
The Sheriff’s Office says they will never call to demand a payment over the phone, and, in fact, do not even collect money related to criminal charges. Government agencies that do collect money will also never require payment via unusual or alternate forms such as green dot cards or iTunes cards, according to deputies.
Anyone who receives a call like this should not engage in any form of payment. Officials say to get as much information as you can from the caller, including their name, organization, reason for calling, telephone number, etc. and search the organization online.
If you cannot verify what the caller said through the organization, report the incident to the LCSO at 803-283-3388 or Crime Stoppers at 888-274-6372.
