The Yolo County Sheriff’s Office and the Davis Police Department have issued warnings about a telephone scam in which the caller claims there is a warrant out for the victim’s arrest and demands money to clear up the matter.
Davis police say they took a report Thursday in which a woman was scammed out of $400 after receiving one of these calls, during which the caller purported to be from the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office and used the name of a real Yolo County judge. When the woman called the number back, the voicemail message claimed she had reached the “Yolo County sheriff.”
“The number was investigated and it turned out to be a VOIP number (Voice over Internet Protocol) and not a real telephone number,” Davis police posted on their Facebook page. The fraudulent phone number was 530-418-9654, while the real Sheriff’s Office number is 530-668-5280.
“Bottom line: you will not be contacted via telephone regarding outstanding warrants in your name,” Davis police said on Facebook, adding that people should never give out money over the phone. If you think you might be the target of a phone scam, hang up and contact local authorities.