Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Tony Mancuso Warns Southwest Louisiana Residents of Phone Scam

Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana – Sheriff Tony Mancuso of Calcasieu Parish has warned residents of Southwest Louisiana to be aware of a phone scam.

Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Tony Mancuso is warning citizens of a scam that has lately returned in the Southwest Louisiana area.
Victims report receiving a phone call informing them that a warrant for their arrest had been issued owing to their failure to appear in court. The caller, who purports to be from the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office and uses the identity of a current CPSO deputy, advises the victim that if they pay the fraudsters sum of money, their arrest would be canceled. When deputies called the reported suspect’s phone number, they discovered he has a voicemail set up indicating he is with the sheriff’s office, non-emergency dispatch.

Sheriff Mancuso stated that this is a scam and wants residents to know that the majority of the time, a valid arrest warrant is served in person by law enforcement officials; however, in some circumstances, a law enforcement official may call you if you have a warrant, but under no circumstances will that officer ever ask for money or any form of payment.

Sheriff Mancuso would like to remind folks of the following steps for avoiding being a victim of a scam:

• Resist the pressure to make an immediate decision. Fraudsters create a sense of urgency to get you to act quickly
• Verify the information before sending any money
• Never wire money or give gift card information based on a request made over the phone or in an e-mail. Keep in mind that doing so is like giving cash—once you send it, you cannot get it back.

CPSO asked that anyone who believes they may have been victimized by these scammers contact the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office at 337-491-3605.