YORK COUNTY, S.C. — Kevin Miller had his doubts about the messages he received from someone saying they were with the York County Sheriff’s Office, but he wanted to be sure that he hadn’t done anything wrong unintentionally.
The first voicemail said, “I’m trying to reach a Kevin Miller. My name is Sgt. Smith.”
The second voicemail said, “I’m calling in regard to some legal matters.”
“I just wanted to be sure that there was nothing against me that I didn’t know about,” Miller said.
So, he says he called the number back. “He gave me the rundown of: I had citations against me for failure to appear and contempt of court for missed jury duty,” he said.
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Miller says the caller told him he could put the charges against him on hold — all he had to do was pay $3,000 using Zelle.
The caller used an 803 number and York County does have a Sgt. Smith. But Miller didn’t fall for it.
A few hours after Action 9′s Jason Stoogenke met Miller, York County deputies posted a video with a warning on their Facebook page.
In the video, a sergeant says a scammer was calling people using his name so he calls the number back and asks “Is this the York County Sheriff’s Office?” The person who answered hangs up. The officer calls again and leaves a message. “Sgt. Kevin Casey, I got information for you that this is Sgt. Kevin Casey calling,” the sergeant says. “So the people that you’re calling, you need to stop.”
Action 9 reminds you:
- Officers won’t call you and demand money, especially using money apps or prepaid gift cards.
- If you do miss jury duty, the court will mail you a letter, not call. You’ll never have to pay a fine without a hearing first.
- If you aren’t sure, hang up and call the court clerk directly and look up the number. Don’t trust the number on your Caller ID.
A few days ago, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department posted a similar warning on social media, saying people have reported callers impersonating its officers as well.
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