I have been waiting for two years for my husband to be hit by a scam targeting people on the registry. Well, it finally came today. I received a call on my cell, which is not registered because it is MY cell, by an individual who introduced himself as an Alachua County sheriff. I would not have normally answered the call but I recognized the number on the Caller ID. I could not remember where I had seen it before, but knew it was legitimate. It turns out it was the main number for the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. The scammer had spoofed it. The guy just did not sound like a sheriff’s deputy. He seemed to have trouble getting his act together. Several things I said seemed to throw him as I guess I was not following the script that I was expected to follow. Unfortunately for the scammer, he had no idea that I was an active member of FAC and had read the many posts at our site warning all of us about people like him. After he regained his composure, he said that he needed some information about my husband. As many of you know, my husband has dementia, and I have to handle everything for him. At that point, I told the guy that I felt this was a scam but I was willing to hear what he had to say (just in case I was wrong). That clearly irritated him. I told him that no law enforcement official would be irritated with me for saying that. They understand that there are a lot of scams going around and would have offered to verity that they were the “real” thing. That made the guy even madder. I repeated that I was willing to listen to him but wanted him to know that I was strongly suspicious it was all a scam. At that point, he angrily said he would be sending two deputies to our house to arrest my husband for a noncompliance charge. When I asked specifically what the noncompliance charge would be, he said it was because I had accused a deputy (him) of trying to scam me. He then hung up. I called Detective Ferguson who heads up the SO Department in Alachua. I have always found him to be courteous and professional and having a lot of common sense. I explained that the man claimed to be a deputy in Alachua Co and gave the detective the Caller ID. Yes, he said, the guy clearly had spoofed their main number. And, no, there was no one headed to our house to arrest my husband. So, Alachua County registered citizens, beware of someone who might be targeting other registered citizens in our county. Apparently, I am the first person to report the scam to the sheriff’s office here. If there are any other people who are targeted, please report it to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. The spoofed number that the scammer used will get you through to report him: 352-367-4000. Thank you, |
