The Cleburne County Sheriff’s Office is alerting residents to two active scam schemes impacting people in the area, involving fraudulent Verizon accounts and fake law enforcement warrant calls.
Sheriff Chris Brown says scammers are opening Verizon phone accounts using victims’ real names and addresses to obtain phones and other hardware. Victims often only learn about the fraud after receiving legitimate collection notices for accounts they never opened. Authorities say the accounts and billing letters are real — but were created by criminals using stolen identity information. An investigation is underway.
A second scam involves callers posing as law enforcement officers and claiming victims have warrants or missed jury duty. The scammers demand immediate payment by gift card or prepaid debit card to avoid arrest. Officials stress that real law enforcement does not collect fines by phone or gift cards and typically does not call individuals about warrants.
Residents who receive suspicious calls are urged to contact the Sheriff’s Office directly at 501-362-8143 or dispatch at 501-362-8291.
