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Con artists brings new twist to jury scam
Police in Senoia have warned of a new take on the old jury scam that has cost people thousands of dollars in metro Atlanta and elsewhere. This time, the con artists knew the victim had recently been called to jury duty.
SENOIA, Ga. - The old jury scam is back in metro Atlanta, but this time it has a scary twist for residents which requires some extra vigilance.
Senoia Police spoke to FOX 5 on Tuesday about the old jury scam, which has cost people thousands of dollars over fears of arrest.
Police say the victim got a call from someone identifying themselves as a law enforcement officer. Not just a random law enforcement officer’s name, but someone listed on the agency’s website.
Investigators say from there the fake cop tells the victim that they didn’t show up for jury duty and there is a warrant for their arrest, but they can pay their way out of trouble.
This should be an immediate red flag for anyone, but the second red flag is just how the fake cop asks for payment. Investigators say the scammer would instruct the victim to buy thousands of dollars in gift cards, or even Bitcoin.
The twist this time is that Senoia Police say it was a woman who was recently called to jury duty but was excused.
Her summons was for October but had been excused, and so she didn’t show up for jury duty at the Coweta County Courthouse.
The "deputy" told her about the warrant for her arrest for not showing up and told her to pay $3,000 in Bitcoin to get out of it, which she did. She bought it from a Newnan gas station and transferred it.
However, when she got home, the conman called back, demanding more money. That’s when she called her husband.
It might have been a coincidence, but now investigators in Senoia and Coweta County are scouring to find the person responsible and to learn if they knew the victim was a juror and how he knew that.
Authorities remind everyone that no government agencies will ever require anyone to pay for a fine, a bond, or anything official through Bitcoin or a gift card. Anyone claiming to be a government official saying that should be hung up on and then perhaps finding the "real" law enforcement officer is in order.