Sheriff Warns Citizens, urges them to Just Hang Up

Buffalo, NY – Erie County Sheriff Timothy B. Howard reports his office has received calls about a phone scam targeting Erie County residents. 

In this recent attempt to scam people out of thousands of dollars, an individual claiming to be an Erie County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant using the name Robert Stzeczario, badge # 40591, contacted residents and stated the person failed to appear for jury duty.  The caller threatened to arrest the individual if a fine of $2,500.00 is not paid.

The Erie County Sheriff’s Office is warning Erie County residents to ignore this scam and recommending people just hang up the phone if they receive a similar call.

The Sheriff’s Office does not contact residents via phone for the purpose of serving warrants or collect fines through a third party pre-paid card service. 

Sheriff’s Office Detectives are investigating two incidents where individuals paid the fines but have been unsuccessful in contacting the perpetrators via the numerous phone numbers being utilized.  Detectives believe the calls are being generated from a disposable phone or via the internet and the calls are untraceable.

The best advice to residents is to “Just Hang Up.”