The Sheriff's Office has received a report of another phone scam. The caller is advising victims that owe fees and/or fines and need to remedy this by purchasing gift cards in the amount of the fines.  In some instances, these "fines" have been in excess of $500,000.  If the victim puts up any kind of argument or asks any questions, the caller will put the victim on hold, and then a male voice will come back on the line claiming to be Sheriff Bill Elder.

The Sheriff's Office would like to remind the community NOT to give money or personal information over the phone. Our Office NEVER calls and informs individuals they owe money for any reason and NEVER asks individuals to make payments to remedy fines. We DO NOT collect money for any government agency.

Scammers are sophisticated, they use actual names of our staff and can appear to be calling from a legitimate Sheriff’s Office phone number by using an application called “Spoof Card.”  This application allows the suspect to use any legitimate phone number to call from with the intent of victimizing people for large amounts of money. 

If you feel you have been the victim of this type of scam, you are encouraged to contact the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office at 719-390-5555, or the local law enforcement agency in which you reside. 

Remember scammers prey on your fear, don’t be intimidated!  They may sound legit, but they are not!