Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office warns of phone scam

LIVINGSTON — Scammers are pretending to a sheriff’s deputy are making calls in Livingston Parish trying to scam people out of money to avoid arrest, the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office warns.

The agency released a phone call of a person claiming to be “Chief Deputy Jason Ard” advising the potential victim that they missed a court appearance.

“They then claim that a warrant has been issued for their arrest,” LPSO said. “In order to clear the warrant and get a new court date, they need to send funds via Bitcoin, gift cards, etc. to take care of the warrant.”

The alleged scammers incorrectly identified Ard, who is actually the sheriff, an error LPSO hopes potential victims catch. They say the scammers are getting personal information about people on social media and using it to try and con victims out of money.

Investigators say the sheriff is not making the calls and the department will not accept payments in the form of gift cards.

If you are contacted by the scammer, the sheriff’s office wants you to call them at 225-686-2241 extension 1.

They also warn anyone who receives a suspicious call not to give out personal information.

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