LICKING COUNTY, OH (WCMH) – The Licking County Sheriff’s Office is warning constituents about a telephone scam.

According to an email from Sheriff Randy Thorp, a telephone scam asking for donations for the sheriff’s office is targeting Licking County residents.

Thorp says the sheriff’s office is not soliciting funds over the telephone.

“If you get a phone call asking for a donation under the name of the Licking County Sheriff’s Office or Sgt. Carson, it is a scam,” Thorp wrote.

The Better Business Bureau says you can avoid becoming a victim of a scam by following these tips:

• First and foremost, do not answer calls from numbers you do not recognize. If it’s a legitimate contact, they will leave a message. Even if a scammer leaves a message, this will give you time to think about what is being asked of you.
• If you do answer and are asked questions that seem to be fishing for a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer, do not respond and hang up immediately.
• For this scam, and all others, never give out any personal identifying information over the phone when you are not sure of the caller.
• If you believe you may have fallen for this, contact your bank and credit card companies to flag your accounts. Check your account daily – the earlier you identify unauthorized charges on your accounts, the easier it will be to recover any lost money.
• Write down the phone number of those callers violating the Do Not Call Registry and file a scam report with BBB Scam Tracker and the FTC’s Do Not Call List.
• If you have questions or concerns about this or any other scam, call your BBB at 248.223.9400.