Has an El Paso Sheriff’s Office employees called and claimed you have an unpaid ticket or warrant, or that you ignored a jury or court summons and now you need to make a payment to resolve the matter?

No matter how official the caller sounds, rest assured it’s a scam. The same type of calls was being made in the area in February and the scammers are at it again.

Per the EPSO press release, a sheriff or Sheriff’s Office employee will never contact anyone by phone requesting payment for missed jury duty summons, unpaid tickets or outstanding criminal warrants.

They warn to never exchange personal or financial information over the phone, and you most certainly should never purchase a prepaid cash card as is usually requested. That’s a sure sign it’s simply an attempt to defraud you of your money.

How the Phone Scam Works

The scammer identifies themselves as an employee of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office and then claims that the individual has ignored one of the following: jury duty summons, unpaid tickets, warrants or court summons. The individual is then advised they must either make a payment or report to the Sheriff’s Office Headquarters to resolve the matter.

In cases where a payment is requested, the victim is told to buy Money Trax cards or gift cards for varying amounts to resolve the matter. After the victim purchases the money cards, the scammer requests the serial numbers displayed on the money cards so that the warrant can be taken care of. Those numbers are then turned into cash by the scammer depriving the victim of the money -- El Paso County Sheriff’s Office

If you feel you might have an unpaid traffic ticket or warrant, call the Sheriff’s Office Warrants Unit to confirm at 915-546-2214. For any matters relating to jury duty call 915-546-8102.

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