Agent Alert: Sherriff’s Department Scam

It has come to our attention that several Georgia REALTORS® have recently been the target of a scam.

In this scam, the caller pretends to be a deputy from the sheriff’s office, and claims that there are warrants out for the arrest of the REALTOR® for a failure to appear in a court case. What makes the scam so convincing is that the caller ID spoofs the sheriff’s office’s phone number. The scammers also have very specific details on the REALTORS®. Additionally, the scammer also mentions the names of specific deputies and judges in the area. The scammer then tries to convince the recipient to meet him at the sheriff’s office, but they claim due to a gag order on the case in question, the recipient can’t tell anyone about the call. The scammer usually asks the REALTOR® to meet at the sheriffs office after hours, or on the weekend, when no one else is there.

If this scenario happens to you, hang up, and call the sheriffs office back directly. If no one there knows what you were talking about, then you can be assured that it is a scam, and while you have them on the line, please report the incident.

September is REALTOR® Safety Month. For a list of safety resources, click here.