Harrison County residents warned about law enforcement scam

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — Harrison County Sheriff Robert Matheny II is warning the community about a scam in which residents are asked to pay immediately to avoid arrest.

Detectives said there is an ongoing phone scam where scammers impersonate law enforcement officers telling residents they’ve missed a court date. Because the court date has been missed, the residents are told to pay a fine to avoid arrest.

Sheriff matheny said they will never call to demand payment to satisfy an outstanding warrant. Further, he said they will ask for personal information over the phone.

Matheny said when resident s receive a questionable phone don;t engage with the caller, hang up, and call 911.

“These scams are designed to scare you into acting quickly without thinking,” said Sheriff Matheny. “Our deputies do not handle matters like this by phone, and we want every citizen to be safe from fraud and intimidation.”