Scammers Posing as Denton Police and Sheriff's Deputies Have Taken Up to $6,800 from Local Residents

Your phone rings. A man says he's with the Denton County Sheriff's Office. You have outstanding warrants, he explains — failure to appear for federal jury duty. Pay now, or you'll be arrested. He knows your name. He sounds completely real.

Two Denton residents reported exactly that scenario on Thursday, Oct. 2. The two were separately scammed by callers impersonating a Denton police officer and Denton County deputies. One lost $100 after a caller identified himself as "Officer Woodrow" with the Denton Police Department, told her she had a bench warrant, and charged her debit card over the phone.

The second case went much further. A woman lost $6,800 to a caller who claimed she faced multiple federal arrest warrants because she had missed jury duty. The caller knew enough personal details about her to seem credible, instructed her to keep the call secret, and kept her on the phone for hours. During that time, he repeatedly pressured her to feed money into a Bitcoin machine, first citing a base amount, then tacking on processing fees, then suddenly remembering additional warrants that required more. He also asked for her Social Security number.

Here is the rule, stated plainly by both agencies: the Denton Police Department says its officers will never demand payment over the phone or through gift cards or Bitcoin. The Denton County Sheriff's Office also states it will never call residents to ask for immediate payment to avoid being arrested. Jury duty obligations run through the court system and formal mail. Not a phone call demanding Bitcoin.

What makes these calls hard to dismiss is that scammers use the names of real Denton County Sheriff's Office employees when contacting residents. The call can even appear to come from a legitimate number. That detail alone does not make the caller real.

What to do if you get one of these calls:

• Hang up. Don't negotiate, don't explain, don't stay on the line.
• Denton PD will never solicit payments over the phone. If you feel uncertain about a call, hang up and call the non-emergency line at 940-349-8181.
• The Denton County Sheriff's Office non-emergency line is 940-349-2230.
• Never send money — especially Bitcoin. Once a Bitcoin transfer clears, recovery is nearly impossible.
• Never share personal information over the phone with anyone claiming to be affiliated with the sheriff's office, and report suspicious calls to local law enforcement.