Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office is seeing new scammer tactics impersonating officers

SALISBURY, Md. — The Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office is warning the community about an increase in scams, with a new tactic gaining traction. Officials are offering tips to help residents stay safe.

Scammers are impersonating law enforcement officers in an attempt to defraud locals.

Wicomico County Sheriff Mike Lewis said, “We had a case that came into our office yesterday where a local Wicomico County resident was scammed out of $247,000. Most of our scams are for $500 to $3,000, but we’ve seen some cases involving $20,000 to $30,000.”

Sheriff Lewis said that these days, when his phone rings, it’s often a victim of a scam on the other end. He told WMDT that many residents in his jurisdiction have been targeted by financial scammers who either request money or gift cards.

“I cannot emphasize this enough: Never, ever go buy gift cards because you fear you’re going to get arrested. We will never direct you to buy gift cards. We will never ask you to make payments over the phone,” said Sheriff Lewis.

Scammers are telling victims they will be arrested by the sheriff’s office unless they provide money or gift cards. They have been posing as officers from Sheriff Lewis’s team, which makes the scam seem more convincing.

“We will never call you on the phone and say you’ve failed to appear in court, or tell you this is Deputy So-and-So, Lieutenant So-and-So, Sergeant So-and-So. You’re about to be arrested by the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office,” said Lewis.

When in doubt, Sheriff Lewis advises residents to hang up and verify the caller’s number.

“These fraudsters can spoof numbers, so it may look like the call is coming from the Wicomico County government,” said Sheriff Lewis.

He stressed that if you’re unsure about the legitimacy of a call, it’s best to contact the Sheriff’s Office directly.