St. Tammany Parish deputies warn residents of phone scams

Bella Dardano

Tue, December 30, 2025 at 3:33 PM UTC

1 min read

St. Tammany Parish deputies warn residents of phone scams

ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. (WGNO) — Deputies with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office are warning residents about phone scams.

According to the sheriff’s office, the scams involve callers impersonating deputies or law enforcement personnel, spoofing official phone numbers and using names and ranks of employees.

STPSO officials said the callers will claim to be members of law enforcement and demand money in exchange for avoiding arrest for allegedly missing jury duty or failing to appear in court.

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Deputies said these scams often involve the request for immediate payment through gift cards, prepaid debit cards or “other unconventional methods.”

STPSO officials said other scams include callers impersonating deputies or government agents and claiming victims owe money to the IRS for unpaid taxes or have a warrant out for their arrest.

According to the STPSO, the sheriff’s office will never call residents and demand money through gift cards or prepaid cards. They also said that is not their process for notifying residents of missed jury duty or court dates.

Deputies said residents who receive calls of this nature should hang up and not give out personal information.

“If you ever question whether a call is legitimate, hang up. Do not use any phone number the caller gives you. Instead, look up the agency’s official number on its website and call it back directly. That simple step can prevent you from becoming a victim,” said Sheriff Randy Smith.

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