Since last week, the Pleasanton Police Department has received several reports of a new telephone scam. Victims report that they received a phone call from a person claiming to be "Deputy Charles White with the Sheriff's Department".
"Deputy White" then tells the would-be victim that there is a warrant our for their arrest. He says the warrant is for a "no show" to jury duty and in order to avoid arrest, one must obtain a MoneyGram type of product to pay the fine.
This scam is seemingly legit, and very detailed. The "Deputy" often gives a badge number, and a local telephone number to call back. This scam is similar to the IRS scam that made headlines earlier this year.
It is important for the community to know that local government (ie: Pleasanton PD, California Court System) will NEVER ask you for personal information or payment via MoneyGram over the phone.
The California Courts website, www.courts.ca.gov states "Be Advised that official court personnel may contact you by telephone, but they will never ask for your personal information." This is taken straight from a page warning about recent scams.
Please forward this message in an effort to prevent more community members from becoming victims.
