2012 News Releases

July 19, 2012

 Auglaize County Sheriff Allen Solomon wants to warn citizens of Auglaize County about a reported telephone scam.

On July 18 a resident of the county received a voicemail message from a foreign sounding person claiming to be "Sheriff's County Officer Allen Solomon".  The caller goes on to claim he has some sort of criminal complaint against the person he is calling, who they refer to by name.  The caller then instructs this person to call another number to speak with an attorney.  This number was out of this area code.  The complainant in this incident did not call this number, but it is believed that this contact number was intended to elicit money from the complainant for what would be a bogus attorney.  The perpetrator of this scam attempts to instill fear in the person he is calling by telling them if they do not comply with these directions that a warrant will be put out for them.  The caller ID showed that the call came from the Auglaize County Sheriff's Office phone number of 419-739-6565.  There are services available that allow someone to create a fictitious caller ID when they contact someone by telephone.

This phone call was an obvious scam and attempt to elicit money from the complainant.  The name of the law enforcement agent or agency could easily be changed to reflect a local police department, along with the fictitious caller ID for that agency.  Residents of Auglaize County should be cautious if they receive a telephone call of this nature.  If you receive a message or call from someone of this nature and are suspicious, call the actual phone number for that law enforcement agency and inquire if they are in fact trying to reach you.