Athens woman threatened with jail by fake cop sends scammers $30,000
An Athens woman recently fell for a common telephone scam in which someone impersonating a law enforcement officer threatens his victim with jail time for failing to appear in court.
The scam has been around for years, yet continues to reel in victims.
In this case, the 32-year-old woman reported to Athens-Clarke police on May 14 that she lost $30,000 in the scam. The report was released Wednesday.
She reported a man who identified himself as an officer with the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office told her she missed a court appearance on May 8 and she could be jailed for 30 days as a result.
She was told pay $8,000 up front and she agreed. Police said she attempted to send the money through Zelle, but the app would only allow a $1,000 transaction, according to the report.
The man then told her to withdraw cash from her bank account and send the money through a bitcoin machine at the Kroger on College Station Road.
Missing Man: After 11 years, mystery still surrounds disappearance of Nicholson man Josh Adams
The woman made three separate withdrawals in the amounts of $7,000, $17,500 and $4,500 and made the bitcoin transactions as she was told, according to police.
She was also informed that if anyone at her bank, Synovus in downtown Athens, questioned why she was making the large withdrawals to tell them it was for the purchase of a car.
She did this each time, according to the report.
The report did not disclose how the woman determined she was the victim of a scam and contacted police.
The Federal Trade Commission reported recently that scams that impersonate government agencies are among the top frauds reported to the FTC.
In 2023, data from the FTC alone show more than 330,000 reports of business impersonation scams and nearly160,000 reports of government impersonation scams, according to the report.
The FTC offered these tips:
Don’t believe anyone who says you need to buy gift cards, use a Bitcoin ATM, or move money to protect it or fix a problem. Real businesses and government agencies will never do that. Anyone who asks is a scammer.
Slow down. Scammers want to rush you, so, again: stop and check it out. Before you do anything else, talk with someone you trust. Anyone who’s rushing you into paying or giving information is almost certainly a scammer.
Investment Scam: Athens man conned out of $440,000 in a fast-time investment scam
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Fake cop threatens Athens woman with jail; she loses $30,000
