• Sheriff’s Office warns of scam callers impersonating Captain Andrews.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office is reminding residents to not give out personal and banking information over the phone following a series of scam calls made by someone pretending to be Captain Brian Andrews.

The calls originated from a Jackson phone number. The caller identified himself as Captain Brian Andrews with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. The caller would then tell the person that there was a warrant out for their arrest, or that they were conducting an audit on people who had received federal COVID-19 funds. The caller would ask for the person’s bank account information.

Captain Andrews said they were made aware of the scam calls after a couple friends of his, who had received the calls, notified him.

“You could tell [the caller] had done a little bit of research,” said Captain Andrews. “Everyone they talked to, it was something different about what they wanted.”

When it comes to giving out information over the phone, Captain Andrews recommended to always hang up and call the sheriff’s office back directly to confirm if the call is fake or a scam.

“If they’re asking for money, don’t give money. At the end of the day, call the sheriff’s office. We’ll be able to tell you if it’s legit or not. Never give money over the phone or give your bank account information out.”

Although the scam caller was using a Jackson phone number, the call could have originated from anywhere. When the sheriff’s office attempted to call the scammer back the number had been disconnected.