FORT WALTON BEACH — A recent scam has attempted to use resources from the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office.
A call came in Saturday from someone claiming to be a Jamaican doctor asking for help in contacting a couple at Bob Hope Village. According to the man, a family member of the couple had been in an accident and was in a coma.
According to the sheriff's office press release, the deputy who took the call was familiar with the couple and knew they had been victims of several scam attempts already. The deputy requested verification of the call's legitimacy before contacting the family.
A man called the sheriff's office back several minutes after the "doctor" hung up, claiming to be a "Jamaican sheriff." When asked to send a standard law enforcement teletype with information, though, he refused and seemed to not know what a teletype was.
Anyone who believes they have been a victim of a scam attempt, please call the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office Fraud Hotline at 850-651-7674.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 'Jamaican sheriff' attempts to use sheriff's office for scam