The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office is again warning the public about fraudulent phone calls impersonating law enforcement following a recent increase in reports from community members, including incidents resulting in significant financial losses.
In these cases, scammers are posing as members of WCSO or other law enforcement and government agencies. Callers may identify themselves as deputies or supervisors and use the names of actual law enforcement personnel to make the call appear legitimate.
The circumstances can vary, but the objective remains the same. Scammers create fear and urgency to convince victims to provide money or financial information. Victims may be told they have an outstanding warrant, missed jury duty, failed to appear in court, or face arrest unless an immediate payment is made.
These calls can be highly convincing. Scammers may manipulate caller ID information to make the call appear to originate from a legitimate agency, provide specific information about the person they are targeting, or use law enforcement terminology to establish credibility.
WCSO will never call a community member and demand immediate payment for any reason. Deputies will not require payment through gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers, prepaid debit cards, or electronic payment applications. We will also never instruct someone to withdraw money or remain on the phone while completing a financial transaction.
If you receive a call of this nature, do not provide personal or financial information or send money. End the call and independently contact the agency the caller claims to represent using a verified phone number. Do not rely on a phone number provided by the caller or displayed through caller ID.
Anyone who receives a suspicious call claiming to be from WCSO can contact our Main Line at 775-328-3001 or Non-Emergency Dispatch at 775-785-WCSO (9276) to verify the information.
We encourage residents to share this warning with family members, friends, neighbors, and particularly those who may be more vulnerable to high-pressure fraud tactics.
Additional fraud prevention and safety information is available through the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Fraud Awareness Hub.
