Phone scammers pose as Mendocino County sheriff’s officials

Phone fraudsters posing as law enforcement are at it again - this time in Mendocino County.

Sheriff’s officials there said Friday that in the past couple of weeks, county residents have received calls from a scammer posing as someone from the Sheriff’s Office.

The caller tells residents that there’s a warrant out for their arrest for missing a court appearance and that they must make an immediate payment. Residents are told that failure to do so will result in a visit from a deputy.

The scam is similar to one reported by the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office in April. In that scam, the caller - who was posing as then-Capt. Mark Essick - threatened to arrest residents on warrants if they did not give him money.

Mendocino County sheriff’s officials warn that anyone receiving similar phone calls should disregard the caller’s instructions. The Sheriff’s Office said in a press statement that it does not make such phone calls and “never solicits payment to circumvent an arrest.”

Residents who receive such calls can notify the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office tip line at ?707-234-2100.