Benton County Sheriff warns of scam

Benton County Sheriff Randall Forsyth is warning residents that someone is trying to sell ads on his department's behalf without authorization. Sheriff Forsyth sent out a media release early this morning saying that the individuals are calling area homeowners or businesses asking for donations for advertising on maps of Benton County.

Forsyth says the callers say they are representing the Benton County Sheriff's Office and that they are asking for “personal history information” to confirm the call. The sheriff says his office is not working with this person or group of people making the calls.

He also issued a general warning to people not to give personal information such as birth dates, social security numbers and credit card number out over the phone.  Sheriff Forsyth says you should always ask for a callback number and return the call to determine if the caller is part of a legitimate organization.