Robo Call Complaints Prompt Warning from Sheriff's Office

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office is warning residents to never provide any personal or financial information to anyone who calls you seeking the information.

The warning comes after the sheriff's office received at least a dozen calls from Pinellas county residents who said they received automated phone calls asking for personal information like a credit card number or bank account number.

In some instances, the robo calls say the person's credit card has been disabled and instructs them to type in their credit cards or bank account numbers in order to reactivate the accounts.

Economic crimes investigators at the sheriff's office offer the following tips for staying safe-

• Unless you initiate the phone call, do not provide any personal information, credit card numbers, or banking information to anyone.
• If you get a phone call seeking your account information, hang up and contact your financial institution directly to verify if your account has been compromised in any way.
• Detectives say that often times, calling back the number that appears on your caller ID may connect you to a legitimate business that is not aware of or involved in the scam.
• Detectives also caution that following the prompts may get you to a live person, but the recommendation remains the same, do not give any personal information out.
• Remind elderly family members and friends to be aware of these scams and to refrain from providing the information.

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