Seneca County Sheriff Warns of “Officer Wells” Phone Scam

A hand holds a gray landline phone receiver with a coiled cord against a clear blue sky.
A person holds a landline phone receiver, illustrating the concept of telephone communication often associated with phone scams.

The Seneca County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents of yet another scam that has been reported to law enforcement authorities.

In this latest scam, the victim received a telephone call from a person who identified themselves as an “Officer Wells” of the Seneca County Sheriff’s Office. The caller then advised the victim that they had failed to appear for a federal jury summons and must respond to the Seneca County Sheriff’s Office with two forms of identification and the victim is to be prepared to provide test signatures to match the federal jury summons. The caller also stated that the victim would be taken into custody by the United States Marshal’s Service if they did not comply.

Although no request for money was reported to law enforcement, it is assumed that the caller was attempting to manipulate the victim into giving the caller an amount of money to avoid this perceived violation of law.

Sheriff Tim Thompson wants residents to know that the Sheriff’s Office would never request money and/or handle this type of activity by phone. If you receive a telephone call of this nature, please contact your local law enforcement agency to report it.

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