Phone scammers target ‘successful business people,’ steal over $1,000 in Myrtle Beach area
A recent rise in scam calls has the Horry County Sheriff’s Office figuring out how to prevent people from losing money, said Sheriff Phillip Thompson.
The sheriff’s office has had as many as 30 people inform them in one day that they’ve been scammed out of thousands of dollars by someone impersonating an Horry County deputy, Thompson said. As a result, the sheriff’s office has been trying to inform people on social media and its website.
The swindlers call people and tell them that there’s a warrant out for their arrest, they missed jury duty or need to make a bond payment immediately or face jail time. Thompson said they look up real Horry County deputies and use their names as well as making the caller ID appear that the call is coming from the Horry County Sheriff’s Office.
They then ask for payment in the form of bitcoin, CashApp, Zelle or a prepaid card. Thompson said he knew of one person who didn’t have the money available to send so the scammers tried to work out a payment plan.
All kinds of people are getting scammed, not just the elderly.
“We’ve seen very successful business people, we’ve seen doctors, we’ve seen retirees, we’ve seen the elderly, we’ve seen young people, everybody,” Thompson said when asked who has fallen victim.
As a result, the department created door hangers with information to watch out for. Some of the red flags listed on the door knockers include a caller making threats, creating a sense of urgency and asking for unusual payments. The sheriff’s office has also taken to social media to warn people.
Thompson has officers who are out in the field try to hand out or hang up the door hangers.
“We never ever call and ask for money over the telephone,” Thompson said.
This story was originally published October 15, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
