Hockley County Sheriff Ray Scifres is no stranger when it comes to scams as he’s been listening to people complaining about them for years. However, this was a first for him when scammers targeted the sheriff, who was more than happy to play along.
“For a second, there I was really in disbelief that they’re actually calling me,” said Scifres. “At one point, the scammer asked me if this was my first time I’ve won something, and I was like, ‘I can honestly tell you this is a first.'”
The scammer was promising him a new Mercedes-Benz, and $1 million, all for the small fee of $2,000. Once Sheriff Scifres realized what was going on, he started filming everything the scammers were telling him.
“They told me I had to go to Walmart to do a transaction, and pay $2,000 to Bank of America,” said Scifres. “For something that is that out of the ordinary, that is something that you normally do not do, and should really jump out at you.”
Scifres kept the scammer on the phone as long as possible, asking difficult questions to find out their tactics to trick people in handing over their money.
“I really did get to the point that I thought we were going to get disconnected because we were letting on that we knew what was going on,” said Scifres. “It’s important to know though that each time you get one of these scams, they are always a little different, but with the same goal.”
In the end, Sheriff Scifres does not believe the scammer is local, but if so, he said they can feel free to drop by the sheriff’s office in person at any time.
“Go ahead and call the Sheriff’s office,” said Scifres. “Please give me your call or show up. We would all love it.”
