A recent scam has The Lee County Sheriff’s Office asking citizens to protect themselves from being potential victims.

On Friday, May 20, 2011 deputies responded to a call for service in the South Fort Myers area of Lee County. The victim told deputies he received a call from a person identifying themselves as a law enforcement officer with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

The suspect told the victim that one of the victim’s co-workers was in jail and needed to be bonded out. He then convinced the victim he needed to immediately withdraw money from his bank and wire it through Western Union to a bonding agency in Chicago, Illinois.

The caller quoted multiple laws and guidelines and kept the victim on the line the entire time as the victim went to the bank and then to the Western Union location. The victim was going to pay over $2000.00 to bond out his co-worker.

The victim had followed all the steps and was prepared to wire the money when he became suspicious and told the suspect he wanted to go straight to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and pay cash. Once there, the victim discovered his co-worker had not been arrested and there was no deputy involved in this request to pay the bond.

Any citizen who receives a call of this nature is asked to verify all information before they withdraw any money to provide assistance.

Anyone who believes they are the target of a potential fraud is asked to call the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Fraud Line at 239-477-1242.