Sheriff’s Office Warns of New Phone Scam Impersonating Chief Deputy Bradford
The Dade County Sheriff’s Office is urging residents to stay vigilant after multiple reports of scammers calling and texting citizens while pretending to be Chief Deputy Tommy Bradford. According to the Sheriff’s Office, the scam has already targeted several local residents — and one attempted call even came through while a victim was standing in the presence of Major Bradford himself.
A screenshot provided to the Sheriff’s Office shows the caller using poor grammar and unprofessional language, which officials say is one of the most obvious signs that the communication is not legitimate.
The Sheriff’s Office stresses that they will never call or text demanding money to resolve a legal matter, clear a warrant, or avoid jail time. Anyone receiving such a message should treat it as a scam.
What to do
Residents are asked to share this information — but more importantly, to personally reach out to people who may not be on Facebook or social media, especially elderly neighbors and family members, who are often the most vulnerable to these types of scams.
If someone receives a suspicious call or text claiming to be from law enforcement and wants reassurance, they should hang up and call the agency directly using a verified phone number, not the number provided by the caller.
Dade County’s Non-Emergency Number is 657-3233
Officials add that the phone numbers used by the scammers don’t even match legitimate law enforcement lines.
