The Monroe County Sheriff's Office on Thursday put Key West and Florida Keys residents on alert after deputies fielded multiple reports of phone and text scams involving callers who pretend to be law enforcement or jail officials. Deputies say the scammers lean on fear, pressure and bogus paperwork to push people into paying up or turning over personal information.
According to WPLG Local 10, callers and texters are falsely telling people they missed jury duty or are caught up in a criminal case, sometimes backing up the lie with forged court documents or fake traffic notices. Deputies told the station that some attempts seem to zero in on people who already have charges pending, which can make the scam tougher to spot. The outlet also reported agency officials warning that any demand for payment with gift cards or Bitcoin should be treated as a major red flag.
How the scams typically work
In a news release, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said scammers are impersonating deputies, jail staff and court personnel and then instructing victims to pay using hard-to-trace methods. The office is urging people to hang up and contact the agency directly using official phone numbers, not any number provided by the caller, and to save emails, texts or voicemails so deputies can investigate. Officials stressed that the sheriff's office will not ask for payment by gift card, cryptocurrency or wire transfer.
What experts recommend
The Federal Trade Commission notes that impostor scams are among the top frauds people report and warns that legitimate government agencies do not call to demand payment or ask for gift cards or cryptocurrency. The FTC advises people to hang up, contact the agency using a verified number and report the incident at ReportFraud.ftc.gov if they believe they were targeted.
This latest alert follows an April warning, reported by CBS News Miami, in which Monroe County deputies said scammers posing as Apple security representatives used fake charge notifications to lure in victims. If you get a suspicious call or text, deputies say to hang up, verify any claim with your local sheriff's office using a number you know is real, and save the message before reporting it to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office or the FTC.
