Countywide : Sheriff Warns of Donation Scam

Households across Ventura County have been targeted by con artists claiming to be phone solicitors for a Sheriff’s Department journal that does not exist, authorities said Wednesday.

County residents from Ojai to Camarillo and Thousand Oaks have received phone calls from men who identify themselves as Ventura County sheriff’s deputies and then ask for donations to the “Deputy Sheriff’s Journal Fund,” Lt. Mike Brown said.

Four calls were reported Wednesday to deputies in the western portion of Ventura County, Senior Deputy Al Calderon said. At least two others were reported earlier in the week.

And at least one similar call has been reported to the sheriff’s substation in the east county, Sgt. Terry Hughes said.

“There’s no such thing as a Deputy Sheriff’s Journal,” Brown said. “This is definitely a scam taking advantage of the citizens’ support of the Sheriff’s Department.”

Brown urged anyone receiving similar solicitation phone calls to report it to the Sheriff’s Department watch commanders. In the western part of the county, the number is 654-2314. The number in the eastern part of the county is 494-8207.