Don't Fall for Scam Calls
August 23, 2023 - Fresno County Sheriff's Office officials report that a citizen recently notified the Sheriff's Office of a suspicious phone call they received. The person identified himself as Fresno County Sheriff’s Civil Unit Sergeant Kevin Baxter. He explained that the citizen had a warrant for her arrest and began to explain that she could pay the fine. The citizen suspected this to be a fraudulent phone call, so she told "Mr. Baxter" she would like to do more research on this claim. He then hung up on her.
*Sgt. Kevin Baxter is not the name of a true employee at the Fresno County Sheriff's Office.
Our office has identified two phone numbers this scam artist is using to contact people in order to con people out of money. They are: 559-214-2111 and 559-241-8222.
Calling these numbers will lead you to a recorded message, which prompts the caller to make a selection from the phone tree. However, no one picks up so they are told to leave a message. Understand, this phone line is NOT associated with the real Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office wants to make it clear to the public that it never makes solicitations for money or asks for the payment of fines over the phone.
These scams are scare tactics that tend to come in waves and often target elderly citizens in particular. It’s important for everyone to stay aware of this trend and have a discussion with family and friends to educate and identify these fraudulent attempts. If you receive a similar call, do not give in to the caller’s demands and do not give them any of your personal information.
Please document any information, such as the caller’s name or phone number and report it to the law enforcement agency overseeing your jurisdiction. The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office accommodates online reporting for this type of matter. If you are a resident of Fresno County, please visit www.fresnosheriff.org and click on “Report a Crime” located at the top of the page. You should select “Harassing Phone Call” to make your report.
You may also make a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission by visiting https://consumer.ftc.gov/scams.
Attached are audio files of when we tried calling the numbers, along with a call back of a man claiming to be Kevin Baxter. When we confronted him about an outstanding warrant, he hung up on us.
View video here.
Source: Fresno County Sheriff's Office
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