NORTHAMPTON — After a resident lost thousands of dollars to a scam caller claiming to be from Hampshire County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Patrick Cahillane is reminding residents that his office does not request money or personal information over the phone.
“Over the past couple of months, instances of scammers posing as employees of Hampshire Sheriff’s Office have been reported with alarming frequency,” Cahillane said in a statement. “Under no circumstances do (Hampshire Sheriff Office) employees make calls seeking to extract personal information, or extort money.”
The sheriff’s office posted three alerts on its Facebook page warning residents about these calls and instructions to ignore, hang up or report these calls to the office. Sheriff spokesperson Thomas Mitchell said these calls often ask for personal information, then use that information to coerce funds from the caller.
“It’s heartbreaking when someone is scammed like this. I know these calls can be annoying, they can cause anxiety among people, but for someone to actually be scammed out of money is just heartbreaking,” he said.
Mitchell said the office advised the victim to work with their local police and financial institutions in recovering any monetary loss. Mitchell did not specify how much money the scammer extorted, but noted that the office’s budget is funded through the state. The Sheriff’s Office does not request donations from constituents for any reason.
The Better Business Bureau advises consumers who receive these calls to hang up and not call back. These con artists often display a fake caller ID, so use reasonable suspicion when a title or company name appears on the phone. Under any circumstances, never give out banking information, credit card or Social Security numbers on the phone unless the caller has been previously verified.
“The duty of the Hampshire Sheriff’s Office is to protect public safety. We want everyone to stay safe and to remember, please please remember, that my office will never make, or be a party to, these kinds of phone calls,” Cahillane said.
Emilee Klein can be reached at eklein@gazettenet.com.
