Perry County Sheriff Warns Residents About Phone Scam Targeting Locals

The Perry County Sheriff’s Office issued a public warning on December 5 after multiple residents reported receiving telephone calls from people falsely claiming to be law enforcement. Callers used names including Captain Davenport, Sergeant Davenport, and Keith Thomas, although officials said other names may be used. In the calls, the impostors asserted that there were warrants or pending court matters and sought financial or personal information from the recipients.

Authorities reported that in some instances a second call appeared to come from a spoofed number matching the Sheriff’s Office, increasing the calls apparent legitimacy. Local residents who received suspicious calls were urged not to provide any information and to hang up. Anyone who may have shared details or who wants to verify whether a call was legitimate was asked to contact Tell City Dispatch at 812 547 7068 or to visit the Sheriff’s Office or the courthouse to file a report.

The immediate local impact includes the potential for financial loss and identity theft for individuals who complied with demands. The broader community consequence is declining confidence in phone notifications from public agencies. Scams that impersonate law enforcement can complicate legitimate administrative processes such as court notifications and jury summons, by making residents more reluctant to respond to authentic outreach.

Institutionally the incident highlights gaps in public communication and the technical challenge of caller ID spoofing. Policy responses that Perry County officials and community leaders may consider include expanding public education on recognizing and reporting fraud, coordinating with telephone carriers to block known spoofed numbers, and issuing timely local alerts through multiple channels to verify official outreach. Strengthening the procedures for verifying calls and encouraging in person or authenticated digital follow up for sensitive matters can reduce opportunities for fraud.

For now residents should treat unsolicited calls claiming legal action with caution, verify through the dispatch number provided, and report any suspected impersonation to county authorities so investigators can track patterns and protect the community.