Reports of potential scammers asking local businesses how much money they keep in the till prompted the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office to alert residents Sunday.

Del Norte County Sheriff Erik Apperson alerted residents through the Office of Emergency Services’ Everbridge alert system, said Crescent City Police Chief Richard Griffin. Griffin said two businesses in his jurisdiction were targeted by people posing as law enforcement who were asking “really weird questions,” including about the different security devices they used

The callers also asked businesses about their current staffing levels, according to a Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office Facebook post Sunday.

“Don’t ever give out information like that over the phone,” Griffin told the Wild Rivers Outpost. “Always call and confirm through dispatch if an officer is calling you. We wouldn’t do that type of information gathering over the phone at all.”

Griffin said law enforcement haven’t identified who the potential scammers were or where they were calling from.

Those needing to confirm that they’re speaking with a law enforcement representative in Del Norte should call (707) 464-4191 ext. 0.

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