Monroe County warns residents about scam calls demanding payment

Monroe County residents are again getting calls from people pretending to be sheriff’s office staff, other law-enforcement officers or jail officials, with scammers leaning on fear and urgency to push victims into paying for fake jury-duty problems, criminal cases or traffic offenses. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said it has received multiple reports of the scheme, which has included demands tied to missed jury duty, parking tickets and tax warrants.

The pressure play is consistent. Callers tell people they are linked to a criminal case, sometimes real and sometimes invented, then insist the problem can be fixed only if money is sent right away. Newer versions have been dressed up with fake court documents or bogus notices about traffic or criminal infractions. Some callers have pushed Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency, while the sheriff’s office also warned residents not to give anyone the digits from a prepaid card.

That mix of official-sounding language and sudden payment demands is what makes the scam so effective in Monroe County, where retirees and seasonal residents often have to keep track of jury notices, court mail and travel away from home in places like Key West and elsewhere in the Florida Keys. The sheriff’s office said the rule is simple: no legitimate government office, utility company, bank or credit card company will call and demand money on the spot. Real deputies and jail officials do not clear up parking tickets, tax warrants or missed jury duty by asking for crypto, gift cards or prepaid-card numbers.

What to do next: Hang up immediately. Contact the sheriff’s office, court or other agency directly using a phone number you find yourself, not the one the caller gave you. Verify any urgent request before sending money, especially if a family member or friend says they need help fast. If money already went out, contact the bank or payment service right away and report the scam to local law enforcement and the Internet Crime Complaint Center. The same impersonation scheme has been circulating across South Florida, and Monroe County officials are warning that it keeps working because it sounds official until the payment is gone.