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Scammers Continue To Troll For Victims In Doña Ana County

Another round of attempted telephone scams is reaching residents in Doña Ana County this week, and some would-be thieves are going to great lengths to convince victims their scams are legitimate.

The Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department received numerous phone calls Wednesday from residents who said they were contacted via telephone from people who either identified themselves as a deputy with the sheriff’s department, or a representative from the U.S. Treasury.

In one report, a woman said the caller identified himself as “Lt. Drake”, who, coincidentally, is an actual employee of the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department. The number on the woman’s caller ID displayed the department’s main number in Las Cruces, (575) 525-1911.

Another resident said she received a call from someone with a 202 area code who claimed to be with the U.S. Treasury, notifying the woman that she had been selected as the recipient of a $9,000 grant. The only step she reportedly needed to take was to purchase $250 in gift cards from Walmart to “process the paperwork,” according to the scammer. The man on the phone, identified as Eric Cooper, instructed the woman to stay on the phone with him while she purchased the gift cards and to not say anything to anyone about the transaction “for security reasons.”

According to detectives in the Criminal Investigations Division, there are computer and smartphone apps that will enable any phone number to falsely appear as another number on caller ID.

Both women instinctively knew the calls were bogus, and immediately called police to report the incidents.

Detectives with the sheriff’s department warn residents that while these scams have been around for a few years now, thieves often switch up their story to catch victims off guard. To keep from becoming a victim, remember these tips:

·       Never give out sensitive information over the phone to anyone. This includes your social security number, date of birth, bank account information or credit card numbers. 

·       Government organizations like the U.S. Treasury or the Internal Revenue Service will never contact you by phone regarding unpaid taxes that can be satisfied with gift cards or iTunes cards.

·       Neither the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department nor any other law-enforcement agency will contact you over the phone to clear up a warrant. If you have an outstanding warrant for your arrest, we will either come to your house or verify that warrant during a traffic stop or court appearance.