𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁 𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗠
A citizen contacted the St. James Parish Sheriff's Office to let us know a "𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐌" is targeting residents of St. James Parish.
The "𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐌" starts with a phone call from someone claiming to be from the St. James Parish Sheriff's Office. They will provide their rank, name, and badge number. They will say you missed court, even though you never received notice that you should attend court. They may tell you there's a warrant out for your arrest, and the only way to cancel it is to pay a fine.
If you refuse to pay, they may threaten to arrest you. They might also ask for personal information like your Social Security number or birthdate to make the scam seem real or steal your identity.
𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗠!
Some scammers spoof their numbers, making it appear as the Sheriff's Office or a local court phone number is calling you.
𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙢:
• We will NEVER call you and ask for money to avoid jail and an arrest.
• Only scammers insist that you pay with gift cards, cash-transfer apps (such as PayPal, Venmo, or Chime), cryptocurrency, wire transfer, (MoneyGram or Western Union), or even cash mailed in an envelope.
𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇:
• 𝐃𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 over the phone unless you are absolutely certain it's a trusted source, a family member, or a secure website.
• 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 with your family, friends, and neighbors to help us protect our community.
𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝑫𝒐 𝑰𝒇 𝒀𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝑻𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒅:
• If you live outside St. James Parish and believe you're a victim of this phone scam, please contact your local Law Enforcement Agency to file a complaint.
• St. James Parish residents can contact the St. James Parish Sheriff’s Office directly at (225) 562-2200 to verify any suspicious calls or to report an incident.
𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐋𝐨𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐃𝐎𝐓𝐃
𝐇𝐰𝐲 𝟔𝟒𝟏:𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝟏𝟎 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭
The closure of Westbound I10 at Hwy 641 has been canceled. Construction was completed earlier than scheduled!
𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐋𝐨𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐃𝐎𝐓𝐃
𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐰𝐲 𝟔𝟏 𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐭. 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development reminds motorists of this active construction zone on US 61 within St. James Parish. Motorists have access to travel the roadway, but should anticipate delays due to alternating single lane closures on US-61 (Airline Hwy) both Northbound and Southbound between the St. John the Baptist Parish Line and I-10. These closures are scheduled to take place between 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM, Mondays thru Fridays. These lane closures will continue from Thursday, April 16, and extend thru Friday, August 28th, 2026.
These closures are required to mill and overlay the SB outside shoulder and NB travel lanes and shoulder on US 61.
DOTD appreciates your patience and reminds you to please drive with caution through the construction site and be on the lookout for work crews and their equipment.
𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐟'𝐬 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐞 - 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟐𝟑𝐫𝐝
The St. James Parish Sheriff's Office will be conducting a training exercise today, July 23, 2026, at St. Peter Chanel Interparochial School in Paulina. The training is scheduled from 9 am til approximately 1 pm. There will be an increased law enforcement presence in the area.