The Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office has been receiving calls from citizens that they have received telephone calls from someone who identifies themselves as Lieutenant John Strause. They are telling the citizens that they have a warrant for their arrest in Guadalupe County. The phone number area code used is an 830 number but is “spoofed” to appear legitimate.
The victim of the scammer was told to pay $500 of a $1,000 fine. The Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office will never ask a citizen to pay for a fine that is reserved for the courts. Nor, will the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office call and tell you that we are going to arrest you for failure to appear at Jury Duty and you need to pay a fine. That is a court process; you will get a summons in the mail to appear in court on a certain date.
Sheriff Zwicke would like to remind all citizens that unscrupulous persons are out there and they pretend to be those we would trust. If you get such a phone call please call your local law enforcement agency or the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office and ask to speak with a supervisor
Anyone who has information and wishes to remain anonymous, please contact Guadalupe County Crime Stoppers at 877-403-TIPS (8477) or online at www.gccstips.org or through the “P3” smart phone app.