Phone scams on the rise again in Bath County

By Bonnie Ralston

Beware of phone scams in Bath County.  As part of his update on activities in the Bath County Sheriff’s Department, Sheriff Robert Plecker says the scams are on the rise again and wants everyone to be cautious.

“We’ve recently had several more scams with a Jamaican accent voice,” says Plecker.  “We actually had one in the Ashwood area where it wasn’t a Jamaican accent voice but, they all came back to, once we done the trace on the lines and numbers, they’re going back into the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, one was in Florida.  So what I want to stress is if you get a call from anyone requesting pertinent information, wanting money for your granddaughter, grandson, someone that’s in trouble with the law, double check and call us, but it’s going to be a scam.  We’re getting all types of them now.  Just don’t give any information.  Try to ask for a call back number, name, usually that will deter them.  They’ll hang up.   I’ve even had one in the past three weeks at my residence.  If you get anything you think is even in question, call our office because, we really need to know about it.  That’s what we’re concentrating on now, why it’s certain areas getting hammered with these scams.   And it seems like the Hot Springs, Bacova area and Carloover in that area through there, not Cedar Creek so much.  It just seems like a central location where they’re calling and we need the documentation because what we’re doing is we’re compiling and doing a database on the number of scams and where they’re all coming back to.”

And with summer just around the corner, Sheriff Plecker says all the events such as the triathlon, the farmers market, the Warm Springs Mountain Challenge, various festivals and more taking place in Bath County will keep things busy over the next couple of months.  Sheriff Plecker said his office plans to place more road signs out this year to help with traffic at events.

“I would really like the public to be aware with school getting ready to let out,” says Plecker.  “With the traffic and the buses and the young kids, they are going to be out of school.  So just be aware, summer, and how the kids are running.  And I’ve got kids of my own, so I just want the public to be aware that school is just about out.”

And Sheriff Plecker has set the date for National Night Out.  It is Saturday July 19 at the high school.  There will be live music and games for kids.    

There’s more training lined up for Bath County officers as soon as school is out.  And the Sheriff’s Department has also recently received some new equipment.

“So we’ve got all of our guys now fully equipped with bullet proof vests, brand new vests,” says Plecker.  “The vests came through The Protector Program through the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office.  I believe there were over 450 vests given out through this program.  And the big thank you goes out to the Ruritans, nationally they were the big sponsors, one of the big backers on getting the bullet proof vests out to a lot of agencies that don’t have them and couldn’t afford them.    So there were agencies from the Eastern Shore to Fairfax to Bath County to Clifton Forge.  We’re getting some good things that we needed.  We got a grant from the NRA.  We bought some stuff for each vehicle to have.  Stuff we’ve never had, in bags to go, we call them grab bags.  It’s got medical supplies, extra ammo, different things.”

Sheriff Plecker urges anyone with any questions to call his office at 540-839-2375.