Kent County Sheriff’s Office issues scam alert
By DOVER — Kent County Sheriff Norman Barlow wants residents to know there’s no one named Williams Woodall working in his office.
It’s a fictitious name recently used by a caller in an attempted scam targeting county citizens.
Even if there was an employee by that name, Sheriff Barlow said, he’d have no arrest powers or authority to demand money to satisfy a warrant.
While he doesn’t have an exact number for the recent scam attempts, “in the past few months, it has happened frequently,” the sheriff added.
For example, he said, one woman was defrauded out of approximately $10,000. “That’s a lot of money, especially if you’re elderly or on fixed incomes.”
Sheriff Barlow wants to make clear that his agency “doesn’t arrest people. We’re part of the civil process. We simply serve subpoenas, handle foreclosures, things of that nature.”
The incidents involve phone calls, the sheriff said, during which a person claiming to represent the office demands money for a purported warrant issue or missed court date.
The calls include a threat of imprisonment if money is not paid. Recipients can be duped into sending money in a variety of ways, including by divulging personal information. And, according to a warning on the sheriff’s office Facebook page, “(i)n some cases, the caller will try to use an official rank/title and can become very verbally abusive.”
If an individual is suspicious of a call, Sheriff Barlow said he or she should hang up immediately. Residents can call the sheriff’s office to report the conversation.
Sheriff Barlow encouraged Kent Countians to visit the Facebook page or call his office at 302-736-2161 for information on how to avoid being ripped off.
“What we want people to know is that nobody here is going to call anyone regarding an arrest,” he said.
“If you haven’t done anything wrong, then don’t even begin to think about giving them your account number and money. Investigate it yourself. Hang up and call our office.”
