Phone scams involving fake warrants, bank impersonators cost Georgia victims over $20,000

USA Today

22-05-2025

Phone scams involving fake warrants, bank impersonators cost Georgia victims over $20,000
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Straight Arrow News
Two Georgia residents were recently scammed out of thousands of dollars after receiving phone calls.
One scam involved a caller impersonating a sheriff's deputy demanding payment via cryptocurrency to avoid arrest.
The other scam involved a caller posing as a bank official, ultimately resulting in unauthorized debit card transactions.
The simple act of answering a telephone call recently lured two Georgia residents into scams that cost them thousands.
One scam is common and notoriously successful in that the caller convinces people they are wanted on an arrest warrant. The only way to avoid jail is paying money, usually with a gift card, but a method becoming more common is paying by cryptocurrency.
The Oconee County Sheriff's Office warned people on April 28 that it was 'seeing an uptick in scam calls impersonating law enforcement in our area.'
If someone calls saying you must pay with gift cards, cryptocurrency or GreenDot cards, then 'congratulations, you're being scammed," the sheriff's office reported.
Law enforcement doesn't operate this way, according to the sheriff's office.
'If you have a warrant, we'll save you the trouble and come by your house, in uniform, with a badge, place you in handcuffs, and arrest you the old-fashioned way,' the Facebook post explained.
Phone scams: How a credit union is helping consumers identify traps before they become victims
In the recent case, a 50-year-old man reported to Athens-Clarke police on April 17 that he received a call from someone claiming to be a Clarke County sheriff's deputy, and due to a warrant, he had to pay $2,000 to avoid arrest.
The man received a Quick Response barcode that he scanned on his cellphone. He was then led to a bitcoin kiosk, where he deposited $2,000.
The other case was different in that a 62-year-old Athens man reported he received a call on April 10 from a man identifying himself as an official with his bank. The man reported he was on the phone with the caller for more than two hours, during which time he provided his debit card information, according to the report released on April 29.
The man reported he discovered afterward that $12,000 was removed from his account, but the bank replaced the money. Then four days later, three debit charges were made to the account for $7,550, which he has yet not been reimbursed.
The man told the officer he is working with the bank to prevent further transactions.