Recently the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office has received calls from citizens claiming to have been contacted by the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office. The citizens stated that the caller informed the citizen of an outstanding debt and if the debt wasn’t paid immediately, the Sheriff’s Office would be issuing a warrant for their arrest. These citizens even reported that the Caller ID for their phone showed as “St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office.”

  When citizens receive calls like this, request that the caller mail an explanation of the bill. Citizens can also request a callback number and name. Explain to the caller that you will be attempting to confirm the debt or alleged bill owed, and will reach back to them once you are sure there was no mistake. Once off of the phone, go online and confirm that the number provided is the correct number to the business that you owe the alleged debt to. Also remember, debt collectors may be pushy, but scammers can be ever pushier. Do not provide any unnecessary information over the phone and tell the caller that you do not conduct any transactions over the phone.

  If you have any questions, concerns, or suspicions that a telephone caller may be attempting to scam you, just hang up and contact the Sheriff’s Office at (985)783-6807. Our deputies will be more than happy to help prevent you from being scammed.