Florence County, SC – Authorities in Florence County are warning residents about a surge in scams targeting local citizens, with fraudsters allegedly posing as law enforcement officers and government agencies in an attempt to steal money.
The Florence County Sheriff’s Office says the most common scam involves a phone call from someone claiming to be with the sheriff’s office who allegedly tells victims they have an outstanding arrest warrant, often for allegedly failing to report for jury duty. The caller then reportedly offers a way to allegedly avoid arrest by paying a supposed fine with a credit card or gift card.
According to the Florence County Sheriff’s Office, these calls are scams and residents should hang up immediately. Officials say scammers may manipulate caller ID to make it appear as though the call is coming from a local number or even the sheriff’s office itself. Some callers allegedly use local accents or falsely claim to be actual deputies.
Law enforcement stressed that legitimate agencies will never call residents to collect money or request payment information for warrants or court fines.
Authorities also warn about another scam in which a caller allegedly claims a family member is in jail, sometimes locally or even in another country, and urgently needs money wired for bond. Officials say scammers repeatedly rely on fear and urgency to pressure victims into sending money.
Text messages posing as the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles have also been circulating. In those cases, scammers allegedly claim the recipient has unpaid traffic tickets and must pay immediately through a link that appears to be official or risk license or registration suspension.
According to the sheriff’s office, these messages are fraudulent and should be deleted without clicking any links.
Officials say additional scams have involved messages impersonating the Internal Revenue Service, Social Security Administration, or sweepstakes notifications.
Residents are urged to never provide personal or financial information over the phone or online to unknown individuals and to report suspected scams to local authorities.
This article was produced by a journalist and may include AI-assisted input. All content is reviewed for accuracy and fairness.
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