Vermilion Sheriff's Office warns of phone scam targeting registered sex offenders

VERMILION PARISH, La. (KLFY) The Vermilion Parish Sheriff's Office says it has received reports of another phone scam.

In the most recent cases scammers are calling different registered sex offenders in the area and pretending to be a sheriff deputy.

"The scammer advises the victim, who may be a sex offender, that they are an employee of the Sheriff’s Office and that the Sheriff’s Office has a warrant for their arrest for failing to update their registration," Public Information Officer Eddie Langlinais said.

He said the victim is advised that the warrant could be paid through the website site “Jpay" and is instructed to purchase gift cards and send the money through Jpay.

The scammer stays on the phone with the victim while the victim is purchasing the gift cards and immediately calls back if they got disconnected, Langlinais said.

"Once the cards are purchased, a female gets on the phone to receive the numbers off the cards. Once completed, the victim is then told that a state warrant for Failure to Appear is also on file and that needs to be taken care of," he said.

Knowing that the victim had already gone to different stores to get gift cards, the scammer urges the victim to use the Bitcoin machine in Delcambre, Langlanais said.

"Although these scammers are good at what they do, NO law enforcement agency uses Bitcoins, therefore NO law enforcement will advise you to deposit money into a Bitcoin machine. Nor will any law enforcement agency advise you to get gift cards to pay a fine or warrant."

If you feel you have been the victim of this type of scam, or if you have information, you are encouraged to contact the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office or your local 911.