Centre County sheriff warns of phone scam

The Centre County Sheriff’s Office issued a warning Wednesday that numerous people, mostly from Penn State, have reported being scammed.

In a press release issued Wednesday, Sheriff Bryan Sampsel said his office “received complaints that phone scammers are telling people that they must do what” the scammers ask or “they will send officers from the Sheriff’s Office to arrest them.”

The calls are coming from a government phone number displayed on caller identification devices as 814-355-6803.

Sampsel added that the scammers have even created “fake court docket numbers.”

“Be aware these phone scammers go by the names Officer John, McKinley, George, Sampsel and others,” said Sampsel.

Police say that between 15 and 20 people were called Tuesday.

Sampsel advised those receiving these calls to “not give them any personal information, bank account numbers or money orders.”

He added that the “Centre County Sheriff’s Office will not contact you and ask you for personal or bank account information. If you are unsure please contact our office.”

The phone number for the Centre County Sheriff’s Office is 355-6803.

This story was originally published March 2, 2016 at 7:45 PM with the headline "Centre County sheriff warns of phone scam."