02/15/2026
PHONE SCAM ALERT
Please be advised that individuals are calling and claiming to be with the Allegheny County Sheriff's Office and have an arrest warrant for the victim failing to appear in court. They stress that the victim should stay on the line until they turn themselves in or pay a fine over the phone to resolve the issue. They may even try to persuade you that they will transfer you to another officer to verify the call. If you receive such a call, please hang up immediately.
TIPS TO PREVENT FALLING VICTIM TO THIS TYPE OF SCAM:
- First and foremost, if anyone is contacting about a legal issue and request payment be made via gift card, prepaid card, or electronic payment methods, it is a scam.
- Even though the caller ID may say “Sheriff’s Office” or be a 412-350-###X phone number, scammers can spoof both.
- Never give out financial or personal information over the phone to anyone.
- If you never received a summons by mail, ignore the phone call or hang up and call the agency in question to confirm any questions.
- Missing court for any reason is not a felony, it’s a contempt of court issue. In turn, one would have to appear in court for a fine to be imposed.
- Government agencies do not conduct any business via text message.
Please see more information via the Allegheny County Sheriff's website at
Information about New & Ongoing Scams If you are contacted to pay for ANYTHING via GIFTCARD, you are being scammed Throughout the years, Allegheny County residents have felt the wrath of online and phone scams which have amounted to thousands of dollars lost. Scammers continue to prey on resident of...