Sheriff warns of scam involving man who says he is with the sheriff's office

CHAMBERSBURG - The Franklin County sheriff is warning residents of a scam involving a man claiming to be from the sheriff's office.

Sheriff Jim Brown said Tuesday that his office had received a couple calls from local citizens who had been contacted by phone by a man who identified himself as "Mark Davis," an employee at the sheriff's office. 

Read:Police log: Pedestrian suffers life-threatening injuries after being hit on Wayne Ave.

In the two reported cases, "Davis" said the victims needed to fill out civil or criminal paperwork. This paperwork involves significant personal information.

Brown said the two cases involved a document on civil failure to appear and a criminal warrant, respectively. 

"That's a complete scam," Brown said.

"Davis" sounded like he was calling as a "civil process server," a position that exists in Maryland, but not in Pennsylvania, Brown said.

It is rare that people would be notified by phone of paperwork they need to fill out, Brown said. The paperwork cited in these cases are the types that would need to be served in person.

Read:Accused killer: 'I was going to get paid to whack her stepmom'

In another incident, the victims were told to come to the sheriff's office after regular business hours. Brown said this case was only discovered because staff, including himself, were working late.

These victims, a couple from Quincy Township, were seen outside the courthouse around 5 p.m. Tuesday. When a county staffer asked whom they were waiting for, they said Deputy Mark Davis. The employee reported it to the sheriff.

The couple informed the sheriff's department that they had been in contact with "Davis," who said there was a warrant out for one of them. 

The couple already bought nearly $4,000 in money cards and read the card numbers to "Davis," when he told them to meet him outside the courthouse.

Brown said a review of security footage showed no one else approaching the courthouse around the time of the incident.

"If anyone gets contacted by the sheriff's office, if they want to call into the sheriff's office, we'll verify whether it was real or not," Brown said.

Read:Kids injured when woman crashed van during overdose, police say

Brown said there is no one by the name of Mark or Davis in his office. The man is also giving out the number 717-759-9479 to have people call him back. Brown said the man sounded professional to the people he spoke with, and that he even mentioned a Court of Common Pleas judge by name during one conversation.

Brown suggests people who receive a suspicious call take note of the date, time, and the phone number given and call their local police department.

Brown said he is frustrated that there are, for lack of a better term, "some kind of shenanigans going on," involving his office. He is concerned that someone could get "financially or physically hurt."

Brown suggests reporting incidents of contact by a Mark Davis to both his office and the local police department.

"It really angers me," Brown said. "I've diligently made efforts to improve public safety."

The Franklin County Sheriff's Office can be reached at 717- 261-3877.

Becky Metrick, 717-262-4762