Oconee County Sheriff’s Office Issues July 2026 Scams Update

(Walhalla, SC)--------------------------------- In our continuing efforts to educate and inform our citizens, and to prevent them from becoming victims of scams, the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office is releasing today our July 2026 Scams Update.   

The Sheriff’s Office continues to receive information, as well as calls from our citizens, in reference to law enforcement related scams.  The majority of the scams fall under two categories:

· A citizen is notified by someone claiming to be from law enforcement that the citizen has an outstanding arrest warrant(s) (i.e. for missing jury duty).  The citizen is told that in order to have the warrants recalled, and to avoid arrest, the citizen must arrange a payment, usually by gift cards or cryptocurrency.

· A family member of someone arrested, and booked into the Oconee County Detention Center, is notified by someone claiming to be from law enforcement, or the Detention Center, that their family member can be released from jail on an ankle monitor and/or to make an arrestees bond payment.  The family member is instructed to pay fees for the ankle monitor, or the bond payment, directly to law enforcement or a Detention Deputy. 

The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office has issued previous news releases in regards to law enforcement scams.  The Sheriff’s Office would like to provide you with some tips and information, which has been released previously, so that you do not become a victim of a law enforcement scam:

· A law enforcement officer will never request payment in order to have charges dropped or a warrant recalled. 

· Law enforcement agencies, and any other legitimate businesses, will not request payment via a gift card or through cryptocurrency in order to resolve any type of payment.

· The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office and the Oconee County Detention Center does not request payment in regards to placing someone on an electronic monitoring device, as a condition of bond.  The Sheriff’s Office contracts with an outside business for electronic monitoring services.  A person is placed on electronic monitoring by a Judge, not a law enforcement officer or a Detention Deputy.  Also, law enforcement officers or the Detention Center will not ask for payment directly regarding an arrestees bond in order to for that person to be released from jail.  Bond amounts are set by Judges during bond hearings and payments for someone’s bond amount is handled through the court system, not by law enforcement or anyone connected to a jail.

·       If someone calls you from a law enforcement agency, or a Detention Center, in reference to seeking payment to have a warrant recalled or dropped, or to request a payment in reference to having someone placed on an electronic monitor and/or making their bond payment, automatically presume it is a scam, hang up the phone and contact your local law enforcement agency to report the scam.