SHERIFF OTTO HANAK WARNS AGAINST FALLING FOR PHONE SCAMS

  

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents to be on guard for telephone scams.  Sheriff Otto Hanak reports that several older people in the county reported they received a call saying their child or grandchild had been arrested in a foreign country and that they needed to send money to bond them out of jail.  The caller tells the person to get money orders or bank cards and call back with the numbers.  He said the callers are using fake numbers, often from the area they are calling to, but their call back number is always outside the US.  Hanak says if you receive one of these phone calls, simply ignore it and contact the person they claim was arrested directly.  If you have any questions, contact the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at 979-277-6251.