July 3, 2025 - The Shelby County Sheriff advises of several scams trending which threaten the issuance of an arrest warrant if you don’t pay and are claiming to be a representative of the Sheriff's Department.
In a statement released by the Sheriff’s Department: “We have continued to receive numerous calls today from citizens being notified that they have warrants issued for their arrest or unpaid citations that will result in arrest warrants, if not immediately paid. A couple of individuals were also notified that they had an overdue PPP loan balance, which if not paid on immediately, would result in their arrest. These loans were made to small businesses during the Covid pandemic for employee wages. The loan scam is likely the product of a data breach as those calling us are, or have been, associated with that federal program. All of these instances involve the caller claiming to be a representative of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.”
Below are some things the Sheriff's Department recommends when receiving these types of calls:
- In the rare instance where we call someone about an arrest warrant, they are generally expecting the call.
- We will not, under any circumstance, call and request you to pay anything to us regarding a warrant, citation, etc.
- If you receive a call from an alleged representative of our agency, requesting you to pay anything, get the officers/employees name and advise them to provide you with a time that you can meet with them at the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.
- If you have online access concerning a small business PPP loan, please change your password.
Please do not hesitate to contact the Sheriff’s Office anytime you have a questionable contact from anyone claiming to be a representative of our agency. We will be glad to verify their employment and the validity of any request made to you.
The Sheriff's Office phone number is 936-598-5600. Don't always trust caller identification as scammers can spoof information to make it look legitimate.
The Federal Trade Commission released a press release on July 1, 2025 regarding this type of scam. Read the article 'Scammers are impersonating local law enforcement' for information about how to identify a scam along with what to do if you suspect its a scam.
