Full Notification

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office wants to warn residents about an increased level of phone calls we are receiving from residents who have been victimized by or nearly victimized by a reoccurring phone scam.   Just today, November 15, we have had several reports from residents who are relaying similar experiences.  A scammer who is posing as a Sheriff’s deputy is calling residents and instructing them that they did not show up for jury duty and that there is a warrant out for their arrest.  The scammer then demands that they turn over their financial information or purchase a pre-paid credit card in order to pay the fine and avoid being arrested.

If you receive a phone call of this nature, you should immediately call the Sheriff’s Office or any other law enforcement agency where the caller claims to be calling from to verify the information.  We caution residents never to give their personal or financial information over the phone.

The Sheriff’s Office wants to remind residents that our agency does not call residents over the phone to notify them of a warrant nor do we take any payments of any kind over the phone.