Sheriff warns of phone scams

Staff Report

The St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office received multiple reports Wednesday of two different types of phone scams circulating in the area.

Sheriff Mark Hebert said one scam claims the recipient has won a contest while the other promises that there is grant money available from a government agency.

In both scams, the callers attempt to get money from recipients by promising even more money in return, or they will try to obtain personal information.

“Don’t risk compromising your personal information, such as bank account numbers or Social Security numbers, by giving them out over the phone. Remember if it sounds too good to be true, it is,” Hebert said.

Any incidents of scams may be reported to the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Department at 985-384-1622 and 337-828-1960 or to any local law enforcement agency.