SLO Sheriff Warns of New Sophisticated Phone Scam

The Sheriff’s Office is warning residents of a new phone scam. And this latest version comes with a concerning new twist.

Recently, the Sheriff’s Office has been receiving reports from individuals who say they were contacted by someone claiming to be from the Sheriff’s Office. In these calls, the scammer typically tells the victim there is a warrant for their arrest and demands immediate payment to avoid being taken into custody.

In an effort to appear more credible, scammers have been using the names of actual Sheriff’s Office employees. What sets this scam apart is that victims are directed to a website to pay an alleged fine. That website, slocso.org, is fraudulent and designed to closely mimic the official Sheriff’s Office website. While it appears nearly identical, the fake site includes a payment option that does not exist on the legitimate website.

The Sheriff’s Office wants to make it absolutely clear: this is a scam.

The Sheriff’s Office will never contact individuals by phone to demand money, request payment for bail, or resolve warrants.

And to be clear, the official Sheriff’s Office website is slosheriff.org.

Anyone who receives a call of this nature should hang up immediately and report the incident to their local law enforcement agency.

Residents are encouraged to help spread awareness by informing family members, friends, and neighbors, especially seniors and vulnerable individuals, so they are prepared should they receive a similar call.

To report a scam, please contact your local law enforcement agency.

The Sheriff’s Office is actively working with the appropriate agencies and our federal partners to investigate this issue.