Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
-Patrol Operations Bureau

PINELLAS COUNTY – The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office is encouraging the public to be on alert to a recent phone scam occurring in Pinellas County. The suspect is calling residents in Pinellas County and identifying himself as a Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office employee.  

According to deputies, on January 28, 2023, the suspect called multiple citizens and identified himself as “Sergeant Melvin Jackson”. In two other incidents, he identified himself as “Captain Jake Lukes” and “Captain Zack Lewis”. After identifying himself as a fictitious Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office employee, the suspect informed the citizens that they have an outstanding warrant. The suspect then requests the citizens to bring large amounts of cash to the Sheriff’s Administration Building or to purchase a GreenDot card and to send him a photo of the serial number.

The suspect is calling from the following local and out of state phone numbers: (727)-308-3891 and (470)-952-8879. Deputies say there have been multiple incidents today where Pinellas County citizens have been targeted using this scam.

PLEASE NOTE: The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office will NEVER call citizens requesting money over the telephone. We advise citizens to not give personal information or account information over the phone and call the Sheriff’s Office to report suspicious activity. 

If anyone has information on this scam or has become a victim, they are asked to call the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office at (727) 582-6200.

The investigation continues.