KENDALL COUNTY, Texas – Residents in Kendall County have been hit for $6,000 by scam calls, according to a letter from the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office.
KCSO said scammers will call people pretending to be law enforcement and ask to collect payments. This scam is known as “spoofing.”
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The caller will state he is Lt. Butch Matjeka, a current detective with the department.
In addition, the caller says there is an active warrant for the recipient’s arrest for a minor infraction, bench warrant, Failure to Appear, Missing Jury Duty, or Sex Offender Violation.
The number will start with whatever area code they are calling from, and the scammers change the caller ID to show that the call is coming from the Sheriff’s Office. However, the callback number will not be the official Sheriff’s Office phone number.
If a potential victim informs them that they have moved out of the county, the caller will offer to meet at the sheriff’s office to resolve the issue. The people responsible will provide an online payment method, like Venmo, Zelle, or Paypal. Once the transaction has been completed, they will change the online ID and show no transactions to that account.
The Kendall County Sheriff’s Office reminds people never to give personal information over the phone. The department said it will never call people to inform them about a warrant or collect payment.
If you have a warrant, KCSO said it will attempt to contact you in person. If you or someone you know is a victim, you are asked to contact the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division. The non-emergency number is (630)553-5856.
Any details about the caller, phone number used, voicemail left, return number, date and time of call, any transactions made, and how they were made could be helpful to investigators. You can also report the scam to the Better Business Bureau, the Federal Trade Commission, or the FBI.