Sheriff's Office advises of phone scams targeting Kern residents

The Kern County Sheriff’s Office would like to warn the public about a phone scam targeting individuals in Kern County.

At this time, residents are reporting that they are receiving phone calls with a call back number that is our public phone number (661) 391-7500 and we’ve even had reports that they use names of active personnel.

This is a SCAM. The Kern County Sheriff’s Office does not handle Court Order Civil matters over the phone and would NEVER ask for any form of payment or personal information.

Red flags to look out for:

• Paying in gift cards.

• Urgency to the extent that you must stay on the phone while payment is processed.

• Asking for any payment at all.

When you take a phone call you suspect to be a scam; you can ask the caller for their name, employee identification number, callback number and a reference number for the matter they are calling about. This information can be used to contact the organization directly to determine the validity of the request.

If you receive suspicious telephone calls that you believe to be a scam, you are urged to contact the Kern County Sheriff’s Office at (661) 861-3110, or your local law enforcement agency to report the incident.