The Sheriff’s Office is aware of fake orders of arrest being sent via smartphones. Victims are then instructed to buy grocery store gift cards or make payments via cash apps such as Zelle, Venmo or other.
Source: Doña Ana County
The Order of Arrest may appear legitimate, as it contains images of the recently-used Doña Ana County seal and the Sheriff’s Office badge, along with the commonly-used terminology. However, the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office does not contact people by phone regarding orders of arrest, nor warrants and they do not request cash payments, nor gift cards.
Anyone who has a warrant for their arrest will be told in person by a uniformed deputy. Deputies do not collect payments or fees associated with any warrants nor arrests.
If anyone in Doña Ana County is contacted regarding an outstanding warrant or arrest over the phone, please collect as much information from the caller as possible, such as their name and phone number and report it to the Mesilla Valley Regional Dispatch Authority at 575-526-0795 or online, at www.mvrda.org.
Copy of Scam letter received by neighbor:
