Orangeburg Co. deputies warn of new round of familiar scam

ORANGEBURG, S.C. (WCSC) - The sheriff of Orangeburg County says a telephone scam that has fooled people into handing over money in the past seems to be recirculating.

Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said his agency has received reports of phone calls with the caller identifying himself as a “Sgt. Maddock” from the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office. This fictitious “Sgt. Maddock” tells the would-be victim they have a legal matter that must be taken care of and then instructs the victim to call that number back to take care of the situation.

“First, we do not handle legal matters, that is what an attorney does,” Ravenell said. “Second, we don’t have a ‘Sgt. Maddock.’”

The number being used in the scam is 803-570-5138. It is a number that is similar to one used by a scammer last month in a “missed jury duty” scam, sheriff’s spokesman Richard Walker said. In that scam, a fake “Officer Madison” used the number 803-530-5134 to collect money the potential victims did not actually owe.

Ravenell said this new version is similarly designed to play on people’s fears.

“This one appears to be a variation of the missed jury duty scam,” he said. “If you’ve received such a call, please let us know.”

Anyone who has received the call is asked to contact the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office at 803-534-3550.

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