The Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office warned residents about scam calls in which fraudsters claim urgent legal problems like missed jury duty or arrest warrants and pressure victims to pay immediately. The scammers boost credibility by using real Yamhill County Sheriff's Office personnel names found online and calling from “spoofed” numbers that appear to come from the Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities urge people to slow down, verify any claims independently, and never make payments over the phone. As the Yamhill County Sheriff's Office emphasized, “Once payment is made to a scammer, regardless of the method used and regardless of the scam, it is very rare that the victim recovers any money that is lost in a scam.”
According to the Yamhill County Sheriff's Office on their Facebook page, scammers are targeting vulnerable individuals, especially the elderly. Residents are advised to verify unexpected calls from deputies by calling non-emergency dispatch at 503-434-6500 or the main office at 503-434-7506, and to “#JustHangUp” and “#PauseAndThink.”
