Sheriff’s office warns of intimidation attempts against immigrants

On Friday afternoon, the Orange County Sheriff’s office sent out an alert regarding a phone scam currently targeting residents. In a post on Facebook, the sheriff’s office said, “individuals are receiving phone calls from the number 845-291-7713, with callers falsely claiming to be from immigration authorities. They are attempting to intimidate and scam people.”

The phone number listed is that of the Orange County Jail. The sheriff’s office said the perpetrators appear to be using the caller ID scam known as “spoofing,” which is when someone disguises their phone number with a legitimate one to convince you that you are interacting with a trusted source.

The sheriff’s office went on to provide the following tips:

- Do not provide any personal information.

- Hang up immediately if you receive such a call.

- Report the call to local law enforcement.

“Our team is working diligently to address this issue. Stay vigilant and share this information with friends and family to help protect our community,” the sheriff’s office added.

This isn’t the only case of intimidation by cell phone reported this week. On Nov. 8, The Associated Press reported that racist text messages were being sent to Black residents, including middle schoolers, in New York and several other states, ordering them to go to a listed address with their belongings to “pick cotton.” According to the AP’s report, the FBI said it was in touch with the Justice Department regarding the messages, and the Federal Communications Commission said it was investigating the texts “alongside federal and state law enforcement.”