Member Submission: And the scams keep coming.
At 1:44pm today I got a call from a 904-999-0283 A number I did not recognize so I did not answer. A voicemail was left. Stating my name and that it was a Deputy “Joiner” from Clay County Sheriffs department, In regards to my registration. To call them back at that number as soon as possible. This put me into a panic mode and I call the number back within 1 minute of the original call and no answer goes to a voicemail stating it’s the clay county sheriffs office to leave a message which I did. I called probably 30 times back at this number in the course of a half hour to try to figure out what is going on. No answer and now the voicemail no longer plays and it just keeps ringing and ringing, I decide to call the Clay County Sheriffs office at the number on their website. They are confused as well and try to figure out what is going on stating they never heard of the name of the deputy. The person says its more than likely a scam that they been getting calls about scams lately. I decide to drive over to the clay county sub station and play the voicemail for the receptionist there and she has never heard of the deputy in the voicemail and said also its probably a scam but to call the normal sex offender registration clerk tomorrow as she was out of the office today to verify for sure. The call sounded so official which is why I panicked. If I would have at least answered the call when they call I could easily tell if it’s a scam or not. I am hoping they call again and I will answer and see what they say. If anything develops I will let you know.
Listen to the recording:
they don’t call, they show up in force with 30 armed officers, and arrest you if you are not in compliance.
That is definitely a scam.
Jed
30 really? You exaggerate. It is only 29 at best. :)~
I use to work in law enforcement. If 30 officers came to my door, I would in this order : 1) Go to the bathroom in my pants, 2) heart rate would sky rocket 3) Curl up in the bathtub and suck my thumb while holding my Teddy bear.
I do that nightly. My PTSD includes nightly nightmares seeing people knock at my door, hoards of people driving by, numerous LE parked in front of my house, my dog barking when she isn’t and having to defend myself. No one is even there.
That is someone trying to do harm,unless you recieve a legal document from the state of registry or a visit from the Sheriff then is real,sometimes it can be people who know about your status taht want to do harm and thats a felony for them it is consider harrasment..but you should not worry brush it off and move on.
I did 20 years in the registry and I have been threw it all to a point I can write a book about it.the system is bad..
It’s a scam!!! Don’t waste your time.
My reply to these calls is as stated: I answer and then after their pitch, I ask what is the sheriff’s name and Office number? And if by chance they answer correctly, then I whould ask for the sheriff’s name in a surrounding county. I never have got the correct answer and they hang up. I seldom get these calls any more.
I hope this can help get rid of these calls.
Sheriff’s office does not call ahead They simply show, up pre-dawn, with Swat team and 30 armed officers with machine guns. Break down the door and arrest you. Never answer phone, unless you recognize the caller.
My policy is I dont answer and anything Important the Officer will leave a card on my door. I know in my Area TampaBay nobody ever leaves a phone message unless I called and they are calling me back. Over the years I have even seen weird uniformed officers bang on my door including a group in Swat Looking Garb I dont answer. Im under no probation nor requrenment to answer. They can verify via mail or of I recognize my assigned officer I will answer. Your experience may vary but everything is a scam today. I dont respond unless I know for sure and I dont believe any law in Florida requires phone Interaction. Been my way for over a Decade
As former law enforcement, it sounded really convincing. If not for FAC and all the posts on here over the years, I might have gotten fooled. Having said that, as soon as they say send the payment in a gift card etc. or really any payment at all, I would know it is a scam.
Additionally, almost NO law enforcement is going to let you know you have a warrant, as that gives you a chance to run. But, if they have been looking for you for a long time, a real officer might give up and just call you and ask you to turn yourself in at the police/sheriff’s department.
Stay safe, stay vigilant, stay blessed.
Since I am on probation and have a monitor I am told I have to answer all calls in case the monitoring center try to call me ( it used to come up as the call center now it comes up random numbers. So now I answer my phone thank you for calling central florida how many I help you. It throws legitimate callers off but then say who they are and from where and ask for me. The scammers just hang up
Tim
Wait, what? Why do you have a monitor on probation? I thought that was only for house arrest? What year were you sentenced? My offense was in 1991.
I remember when I got out of prison in 1997, some offenders were going to have to put a bumper sticker on their car saying they were an offender. I was scared to death that was going to happen but it failed in the votes.
The bulk of those on s.o. probation in Florida have the anklet (monitor). It’s part of the blanket stipulations, regardless of whether the offense was internet related, hands on, he said/she said, etc…
C’est la vie.
Yes, electronic monitoring is a standard condition of sex offender probation in Florida for any offense committed on or after September 1, 2005 that involved a victim under 16 years of age or for anyone designated a sexual predator. See F.S. sec. 948.30(3).
SC
Must be something new. I was on house arrest then probation and had no monitor other than the probation officer who could show up like a Genie almost anywhere I was. During house arrest I have to state everywhere I was going for the entire week and that was the ONLY places I could go. On probation I could (I thought) go anywhere but got a write up for going to Disney. I got that tossed because I was never told I couldn’t, nor was there any law saying I couldn’t at the time.
I think my probation fee was $30 a month. That was back in the 90s.
Everyone i know had ankle monitor. Its annoying. I had it but found a way around it after 8 months or so by having my probation transferred to a location that did not have ankle monitoring. finished my remaining 3+ years there ankle monitor free.
Does call trace still work? This used to be a thing back in the days of land lines. It would at least force LE to compile a report of the incident, would it not?
The majority of scammers are spoofing phone numbers, so its almost impossible to trace the call. I get scam calls quite frequently and always hang up when I confirm its a scam. When I try to call the number back to mess with them, a completely different person answers who knows nothing about the scammer. For example, several numbers I have called back turned out to belong to legitimate businesses like auto parts stores, car dealerships, etc. Spoofing a phone number is actually quite easy to do, so unless you can get a person to meet you face to face, the police are very unlikely to find out who they are.
Disgusted
A few years back, someone spoofed my # and I was getting over 800 calls a day. At first I was texting the people and saying it is not me doing it. It was so bad I could not make a call because so many people were calling me to cuss me out.
I called Verizon and they said the only way to stop it was to change my phone #. They said the police cannot do anything about it, which I already knew because it is most likely coming from India.
1 thing I also do before calling back a number I don’t know. I look up the number on https://www.spydialer.com/ just don’t click the ads. And see who the number belongs to. If it says unknown, I don’t call back.
Hey cherokee I was Charged in 2008 sentenced in 2010 I have a ankle monitor and have to fill out a driving log. talk about redundant the monitor tells them where I’m at so why the driving light which if I’m a passenger I don’t have to fill out only if I’m the driver. Stupid
Tim
My probation ended (I hired an attorney) in 2003 so next year It will be 20 years since all sanctions were ended. (Really though because I feel the registry is a major sanction).
Anyway, if I can get off the registry, I will be a major advocate to help others. I cannot do much now as I do not want the heat on me and also I am broker than a tossed out toaster. I gave up getting a job since even as a janitor you have to do a back ground check now. Sad I have 3 college degrees and all they are worth about the paper they are written on.
If I can get off the registry, then I will have access to money that as of now, I cannot touch.
Well cherokee Thats where I’m lucky I have my own business and I work at a shop on the side trying to get another vehicle ready to put on the road and hire a driver for it. My wife and I discussed it and decided to only hire registered or previously registered citizens since we know first hand the struggle
Tim
That is very admirable of you. Sometimes it takes walking in the shoes of someone to know what they are going through. There is a guy where I use to register who owns an entire street of houses. He only rents to registered people. He also has a van and drives them to registration, grocery store etc.
Since the guy owns most of the houses on the street, they are rarely bothered. It is welcome news when someone moves because he can buy more houses and rent to more registered people LOL
Also makes it easy for compliance checks since so many live on that one street.
I also found a way around the driving log not sure if it would work anymore but back in 2008 when i was on probation I decided to get me a scooter. Since i cant have passengers on it the probation officer said no need to fill out a driving log only when i am driving a car. Tho i guess that would be up to the probation officer.
Walt
I guess a lot has changed. No logs, no polygraphs etc. I did have to do drug test which was funny because I have never done drugs in my life and I always came out clean on the test. Never any ankle bracelet even on house arrest.
But even though I am off all sanctions, I feel more scared because I get pulled over ALL the time for no reason. They run my tags and make up some silly reason I am pulled over. Then I get held for up to an hour while they try and find some reason to arrest me. I get question as to why I am in their city, or that area etc.
Although I am mixed German & Cherokee, it makes me think of what happens to black people, getting pulled over for driving while black. Just I get pulled over for driving while registered.
Good idea but it wouldn’t work to well for mi for one i can’t use a scooter or motorcycle for my business and when I go to my secondary job I have to take my 70lb dog to the sitter.
LPH
I am sorry you have to go through that. I guess the only good thing that came out of the beatings my Dad use to give me as a kid, was it helped me deal with the let downs the World throws at me.
Hi all how’s life? I know this has nothing to do with the scams but I hav a question,here goes the registery says that we have to reside or work or go to school in the area that we live at well how come we don’t start fighting the words on how they wrote the law.? In South Carolina they said it lifetime well it also says that I must register there 2 a year now I am not there and live IN fl. So technically I’m violating my registration now they also say that one state registration is different from another states registration so if they can change the law and make it retroactive shouldn’t we go to them and challenge the way it’s written?please tell me I’m on to something Here. Cause I was convicted in Indiana on a c felony and during that time my charge was not on the registry but they made it retroactive even though my county told them there was no special stipulation on my abstract now indiana was supposed to remove all people from the registry due to Indiana found out it was unconstitutional to do so. So why can a state put you on their registry and when their own words say that we must reside their to have to register?please someone else tell me if I am on to something here
This was my submission. A update. The next day i went to the main police station in Green Cove Springs and even they were confused. I played the voicemail for the main receptionist and another officer that was there and they had no clue. They even went into their systems to try to find a deputy with the name but nothing. Also said the number is not something they use that it was a scam. As of today that phone number is now disconnected. It puts my mind at ease. But I am done with Florida. I am gonna try my hardest to leave this state in the next two years and head elsewhere.
Leaving Florida will not change this. These scams are also happening in other states and not limited to those on a Registry. https://narsol.org/2019/02/scam-update-spreading-its-tentacles-from-sea-to-shining-sea/
FAC
And even if he leaves Florida, there is a high chance he will still be on the registry here anyway. (According to several people on here who moved out of Florida and are still on Florida Registry)
CherokeeJ…
Yep, I am One of Those—One of those that Moved Out of Draconian FLori-Duh….Along with Those that Have Died, Absconded, Incarcerated, etc!
Once on Flori-Duh’s Hit List…Always on the Hit List….I believe after 25 Years plus/minus You Can Petition and Some May Have Been Successful Thus Far-But, Probably Just a Few!
Inflated Number Keep the Monies Coming In.
CherokeeJack
As of right now that is Florida’s law and one that makes no sense. How are non residents or dead people a threat to Florida communities? Talk about cooking the books to get more money. My question is how many lawmakers have investments in registry schemes and isn’t that considered human trafficking. I’m A human being, not a commodity!!
I know i dont mean it that way. I meant it is i am tired of Florida and its strict registration requirements and finding a place to live being nearly impossible for someone like me. I am planning on heading to Alaska. I know i will be on the registry there too but their restrictions are literally nothing compared to Florida and with Alaska being so big and wide open and communities so spread apart and housing being so cheap it just makes more sense. You can rent a dry cabin on a nice size acreage for roughly $500 or so. But i am taking these next 2 years to work on my credit and save so i can buy a home there and live without neighbors nearby, No schools nearby, nothing. Just be left alone and enjoy life. Hopefully off the grid, I cant keep living with my parents for the rest of my life
Walt
We all have a tipping point and when it’s breeched it cause more stress as well as burdens. Hopefully you’ll be able to work on your credit and other resources needed to move to the Last Frontier. I wish you the best now and in the future. FYI go to Goodwill to find winter clothes before moving.
A few years ago here in Texas I received a “sheriff” scam call and an “FBI” scam call. I immediately knew for three reasons they were scams.
The sheriff scam did not use the first 6 digits of all the county department phone numbers.
The FBI scam call out of Los Angeles which made no sense as my city has an FBI office.
I know my registering sheriff employee well enough that she would never call me and threaten me with an arrest, she would just show up unannounced and arrest me.
When I mentioned the scams to this sheriff employee, she stated I would never call you concerning a warrant, I would just come unannounced and arrest you.
I do not answer calls I do not recognize. I never returned the voicemails of the two scams and blocked those numbers.
During the last year, Texas has had issues with the SO scams.
Don’t move out of Florida because you got a scam phone call. Scams can happen anywhere with today’s technology and it’s best to know what you can do to protect you and your family. Florida needs registrants and their families involved in this fight. I’m no longer a Florida resident, yet I’m forever a Florida registrant and I understand the toughness of Florida’s laws. FAC as an organization needs you and all of us in this fight. Show up by speaking out against unjust bills, write and call your representatives, and get others involved. Don’t let Florida break you, let it mold you into an involved advocate, and never give into the state or give up on life cause that is how they win.
Sounds to me like a person would be much better off, if they came to Florida to take their chances , be very careful not to direct attention to themselves, and observe all laws. Then make your visit and leave. I don’t think there are any check points coming or going out of Florida. The penalty if you get caught aren’t much different than if you register your stay.
Of coarse I don’t want to give them any ideas. They may start check points just like going to a foreign country. They can probably get the tax payers to pay for that too. Since the public is so dumb.