On Tuesday, the Hockley County Sheriff’s Office warned people of a phone scam.  

The HCSO said a caller will claim to be a grandchild in jail.  The caller will then give the name and phone number of an attorney who will give instructions for providing bail money. The instructions are to purchase gift cards or money cards from a local store.

“These individuals can be very convincing and will use concern for your family to get your money,” HSCSO said.  “They will assure you there is no time to waste and the transfers must be done quickly.”

And if that does not work then, “tactics can turn aggressive,” HCSO said.

“Never give out information on the phone to anyone,” HCSO said. 

The following is the full statement from HSCO: 

Good Tuesday morning! We have received two calls recently from residents in Levelland, and in Sundown, of SCAM attempts over the phone. The numbers I have been given, of course, are not working now. Here is how it works:

You will receive a phone call from someone claiming to be a grandchild stating he or she is in trouble, and normally in jail. The caller will want money for bail. He (or she) will give another number to call for an attorney and ask that you call the other person to make payment arrangements. The payment, according to the “attorney,” can be made by going to purchase gift cards or money cards from a local store and calling back with the card information. Once the purchase is made and the information for the cards is given, your money is gone.

These individuals can be very convincing and will use concern for your family to get your money. They will assure you there is no time to waste and the transfers must be done quickly. When they sense hesitation, tactics can turn aggressive and they will get frustrated. Do not let them intimidate you!

Please understand this is a SCAM. We have not seen this one in a while, but is coming back to our area. So far, we have had no reports of anyone falling victim to this. Those who have been contacted have spotted the scam and have asked that we share this far and wide!

As we always say, never give out information on the phone to anyone and before making purchases or pay anything verify the information. When in doubt, simply hang up and verify the information with another family member. We do not want anyone to fall victim to these scams, so help us share this one!

Anyone with any questions, or who may have more information about this scam, please notify the Sheriff’s Office, or your local law enforcement agency. The more we share information like this, the less likely we have some of our residents fall victim.