Laurens County Sheriff’s Office warns public of various scams

The Laurens County Sheriff’s Office wants the public to be aware of different kinds of scams aimed at taking away people’s money.

LCSO posted an example of a fraudulent court enforcement notice that has been received by text message or even mail in mailboxes recently. According to the LCSO, the notices may look official but they have some very clear warning signs like no name, address or vehicle information listed on it. Other signs include:

– Vague or multiple violations with no details

– Mismatched locates (example: Georgia vs. Missouri courts)

– Urgent threats demanding immediate payment

– QR codes or links to pay fines

– Sent via text message

Sheriff’s Maj. Alan Baggett said other scams included missing jury duty and speeding tickets.

“With the speeding ticket scam, they will say you have a speeding ticket and you need to pay this online,” he said. “People need to be very careful with that.” 

Courts and law enforcement agencies never send traffic violation notices by text message, ask people to pay fines through QR codes or threaten immediate license suspension without proper legal process. Law enforcement officials encourage people who receive one of these notices to not scan the QR code, click any links or send payment. They also encourage people to verify the information with court officials or local law enforcement agency.

If people are unsure, they can contact their local sheriff’s office or police department before taking any action.

“There is no problem calling your local sheriff’s office or police department and asking somebody,” Baggett said. “We’re trying to give people a heads up and be very careful. If you have some elderly grandparents or know some senior adults, let them know about this and tell them not to go online and pay these scams. They are just trying to get people to pay and it is a mess.”

Another way to find out is for people to inform the caller, or whoever sent the text, that they know someone in law enforcement.

“Tell them you are going to call a person you know well at the sheriff’s office or police department, and they are going to give them a call,” Baggett said. “Most of the times they will hang up and not call them back.”

If people believe they are being scammed, they can contact the LCSO at (478) 272-1522, Dublin police at (478) 277-5023 or the East Dublin police at (478) 272-6883.