South Knoxville News

Blount County Sheriff James Lee Berrong is asking the public to beware of a phone scammer who is posing as a Sheriff’s deputy and harassing citizens with phony phone calls.

The Sheriff’s Office became aware of the phone scam today when a victim came close to wiring thousands of dollars to the individual. One of the names the caller is using is Lt. Randy Ailey with the Blount County Sheriff’s Office. Though Lt. Ailey is an employee of the Blount County Sheriff’s Office, a criminal is using his name fraudulently. The calls also appear to be originating from the Sheriff’s Office main number of (865)273-5000, however the call is NOT originating from the Blount County Sheriff's Office. Scammers often spoof legitimate phone numbers of businesses using an app to try to scam people. 

Please do not become a victim of this criminal activity. If you receive a call from someone claiming to work for the Blount County Sheriff’s Office who say you have unpaid fines or that you’ve missed jury duty, hang up. Though personnel from the Sheriff's Office regularly call citizens about routine business,  employees of the BCSO will NEVER call an individual to tell them they have unpaid fines, or that they will be arrested because they missed jury duty. We will NOT call an individual and tell them they have an outstanding warrant for their arrest and they must pay the fine or they will be arrested.

Deputies with the Blount County Sheriff’s Office routinely call citizens regarding Sheriff’s Office business, but it will never be to ask for money. If you ever suspect you are being scammed, you can call the Sheriff’s Office to verify that the individual is employed with the BCSO.

Please share this information with your family and friends who may not have access to social media.

Original source can be found here