MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — It seems scammers are at it again — this time pretending to be none other than Rutherford County Sheriff’s Sgt. Tim Hayes, apparently moonlighting as a part-time phone scammer (spoiler: he’s not).

According to a report from the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, at least four residents received calls this week from someone claiming to be Sgt. Hayes, saying they needed to call him back “about a legal matter.” Naturally, that “legal matter” almost certainly involved handing over your hard-earned money — because what else would a scammer want?

Thankfully, the intended victims weren’t fooled and did what the Sheriff’s Office always wishes more people would do — they called to verify the situation first. Sure enough, the real Sgt. Hayes had made zero phone calls and has no side hustle in phone fraud.

The Sheriff’s Office used the opportunity to remind everyone of something that apparently still needs to be said in 2025: law enforcement does not call citizens to demand money — not for fines, not for warrants, and definitely not for “special processing fees.”

If you get a call like this, hang up, take a deep breath, and remember — if someone claiming to be a cop asks for payment over the phone, they’re a scammer, not a sergeant.

• See previous news articles that highlight scams in our area HERE.