'It's okay to hang up.' Warning issued after scammer impersonates Wake County sheriff's deputy

WAKE COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) -- Is that really a sheriff's deputy asking you to send money via an app?

That's what the Wake County Sheriff's Office wants people to be able to answer if they receive a call from an impersonator.

After receiving reports of someone impersonating a deputy, Wake County Sheriff Willie Rowe is alerting the public to an ongoing scam.

Sheriff Rowe said the impersonator is asking people to pay them through an app, like PayPal. He said they're intimidating the people into paying.

The two most important things the sheriff's office wants everyone to know so you don't get scammed:

• No employee of the sheriff's office will ever contact you and ask for money or payment over the phone, through an app, or through gift cards.

• Deputies will never call and threaten to arrest someone if they do not pay.

RELATED | Scammers continue to dupe people out of money using Wake Co. Sheriff Major's name

"No matter how threatening the caller is, don't panic and know it is okay to hang up the phone," Sheriff Willie Rowe said. "If you are unsure, call our office, and a deputy will confirm the validity of the phone call. Please do not pay someone you do not know."

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