Telephone Scams Continue to Trend in Montgomery County

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TX -- During the last few months, telephone scams have been a trendy way for criminals to cheat you out of your hard-earned money, and we want you to keep that cash in your account- and not in their filthy hands.

The most recent trend involves scammers posing as local law enforcement figures, such as MCSO Lt. Scott Spencer. The scammer contacts a citizen who currently has or has had a criminal matter in the past and claims you URGENTLY need to transfer money, either in person or via an app, to have your DNA verified and avoid penalties. The scammers are even spoofing the phone numbers of law enforcement agencies to make the call appear legitimate.

Please understand, though a scammer will vary in their reason to contact you, all scams maintain the same basic tenets to remain effective. Scammers will call and claim you have:

1. An URGENT MATTER that requires
2. An IMMEDIATE ACTION, which involves
3. The TRANSFER OF MONEY to
4. AVOID A PENALTY.

Important reminders:
• The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office (MCTXSheriff) does NOT take payments over the phone or in person, including using gift cards, Bitcoin, or any type of mobile payment app (CashApp, Zelle, Venmo, etc.).
• If you receive a suspicious call from someone who claims to be a member of law enforcement, do not act under their urgency and provide personal or financial information. Instead, hang up immediately and always call the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office directly at 936-760-5800, option 3, to verify the caller’s identity.

If you or someone you know receives a call like this, please report it to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office at 936-760-5800, option 3, so we can continue to track and address this issue.