The Kern County Sheriff’s Office issued an alert about a recent phone scam targeting local businesses.
The nature of the scam involves a person calling doctors’ offices, claiming to be a KCSO employee and having a civil matter to discuss with the doctor, according to a KCSO news release.
This is a scam. The Kern County Sheriff’s Office does not handle court-ordered civil matters over the phone, and would never ask for any form of payment or personal information.
The scammer may begin reaching out to other businesses or residents. Anyone who receives a call from an unknown person requesting money should research the matter before providing any funds or personal information.
KCSO officials suggest locating the organization’s telephone number online and contacting them directly. Asking for a caller’s name, employee identification number, callback number and a reference number for the matter they’re calling about can provide information that can be used to contact the organization directly to determine the validity of the request, officials said.
Anyone who receives a suspicious telephone call they believe to be a scam can contact the Kern County Sheriff’s Office at 661 861-3110, or your local law enforcement agency to report the incident.
