Taylor County sheriff warns of jury duty scam
TAYLOR COUNTY, Texas () – Sheriff Ricky Bishop from the Taylor County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) has issued a scam alert. The alert impersonates people from the TCSO and their phone numbers, asking locals to pay money for not showing up for jury duty.
'That is 100% a scam; no one from the sheriff's office will be calling you for money if, for some reason, you don't show up for jury duty or anything of that sort. Any type of phone call you get is 100% a scam, and please ignore it,' Bishop said.
The Abilene Back The Badge Foundation shared tips on how to avoid a scam:
The sheriff's office will never contact you by phone to ask for payment.
Official notifications are sent via mail, not delivered through unexpected phone calls.
You will not be required to make payments using gift cards, Venmo, or Cash App.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Scottie Scheffler deletes Venmo account in latest incident of bettors harassing an athlete
Scottie Scheffler signs autographs during a practice round ahead of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club. (Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press) That Scottie Scheffler is the prohibitive favorite to win the U.S. Open this week at historic Oakmont Country Club surprises no one. He's the top-ranked golfer in the world, winning three of his last four starts, including the PGA Championship. That Scheffler deleted his Venmo account because bettors continually clicked the pay/request link on the mobile payment app and rudely demanded that he reimburse them when he didn't win probably shouldn't surprise anyone, either. Advertisement "I think everybody hears from fans whether they have a financial benefit or anything in their outcome," Scheffler told reporters at the U.S. Open on Tuesday. "That's why I had to get rid of my Venmo, because I was either getting paid by people or people requesting me a bunch of money when I didn't win. It wasn't a good feeling." Scheffler chuckled nervously when he said it, but athletes getting harassed by folks who lost money betting on their performances isn't a laughing matter. Read more: Scottie Scheffler triumphs in PGA Championship for his third major title Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018 struck down a federal law that had prohibited most states from allowing sports betting, abuse toward athletes from bettors who blame them for their financial losses has soared. Gambling on sports is now legal in 39 states. Advertisement Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. and Boston Red Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks said recently that their families have received death threats on social media. A man who lost money May 10 when McCullers gave up seven runs while recording only one out in a loss to the Cincinnati Reds threatened to "murder" McCullers' two young daughters. Police traced the threats to an intoxicated man overseas who had lost money betting on the game. "I understand people are very passionate and people love the Astros and love sports, but threatening to find my kids and murder them is a little bit tough to deal with," McCullers said in an understatement. "There have been many, many threats over the years aimed at me mostly ... but I think bringing kids into the equation, threatening to find them or next time they see us in public they're going to stab my kids to death. Things like that are tough to hear as a dad." Hendriks posted on his Instagram story that he has received death threats while struggling to regain his form after missing nearly two years because of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and Tommy John surgery. Advertisement 'Threats against my life and my wife's life are horrible and cruel,' Hendriks wrote. 'You need help. Comments telling me to commit suicide and how you wish I died from cancer are disgusting and vile. Maybe you should take a step back and re-evaluate your life's purpose before hiding behind a screen attacking players and their families. Read more: Pete Rose, 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson reinstated by Major League Baseball, making Hall of Fame election possible Hendriks later explained to reporters why he responded on social media. 'With the rise of sports gambling, it's gotten a lot worse,' he said. 'Unfortunately, that tends to be what it ends up being — whether it be Venmo requests, whether it be people telling you in their comments, 'Hey, you blew my parlay. Go [f—-] yourself,' kind of stuff." Advertisement Some gamblers believe they can impact the outcomes of competition through harassment. FanDuel banned a man in Philadelphia after he bragged on social media about intimidating three-time Olympic gold medalist Gabby Thomas at a Grand Slam Track meet two weeks ago. 'I made Gabby lose by heckling her. And it made my parlay win,' he wrote on a post that included a screenshot of two bets on FanDuel. Thomas responded by posting, "This grown man followed me around the track as I took pictures and signed autographs for fans (mostly children) shouting personal insults — anybody who enables him online is gross." College athletes are also targets, especially during high-volume betting events such as March Madness and the College Football Playoff. Advertisement The NCAA is lobbying for states to ban proposition bets on the performances of individual college athletes, saying it creates a temptation to compromise game integrity. Read more: Q&A: How are college sports changing in the wake of House settlement? College athletes have long been considered more susceptible to taking money from gamblers than pro athletes because they are amateurs. That will soon change because of the passage last week of the House settlement, a revenue-sharing model that will allow universities to directly pay athletes up to $20.5 million per year. Not to say paying college athletes will insulate them from disgruntled gamblers. The NCAA will continue to press for laws that could ban bettors from state-licensed sportsbooks if they are found guilty of harassment. The sheer volume of betting makes policing the harassment and intimidation of athletes an enormous challenge. This year, it was estimated that $3 billion was legally wagered on the men's and women's NCAA basketball tournaments, according to the American Gaming Association (AGA), an increase of about 10% from 2024. Advertisement In an attempt to be proactive about harassment ahead of March Madness, the NCAA posted a public service announcement video titled "Don't Be a Loser." "There's losing and then there's being a loser. Game time comes with enough pressure," the video said. "Way too often, people are betting on sports, losing, and taking it out on the athletes. Only a loser would harass college athletes after losing a bet, but it happens almost every day. "Root for your team, get crazy when the buzzer sounds, but don't harass anyone because you lost a bet. It's time we draw the line and put an end to the abuse." Scheffler drew the line by deleting his Venmo account, which had become just another means for gamblers to communicate with a prominent athlete. His career earnings exceed $150 million, according to Spotrac, but he said a handful of bettors had paid him 'maybe a couple bucks here or there' via Venmo after he won tournaments and presumably lined their pockets as well. Advertisement 'That didn't happen nearly as much as the requests did,' Scheffler added. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
14 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Scottie Scheffler deletes Venmo account in latest incident of bettors harassing an athlete
That Scottie Scheffler is the prohibitive favorite to win the U.S. Open this week at historic Oakmont Country Club surprises no one. He's the top-ranked golfer in the world, winning three of his last four starts, including the PGA Championship. That Scheffler deleted his Venmo account because bettors continually clicked the pay/request link on the mobile payment app and rudely demanded that he reimburse them when he didn't win probably shouldn't surprise anyone, either. 'I think everybody hears from fans whether they have a financial benefit or anything in their outcome,' Scheffler told reporters at the U.S. Open on Tuesday. 'That's why I had to get rid of my Venmo, because I was either getting paid by people or people requesting me a bunch of money when I didn't win. It wasn't a good feeling.' Scheffler chuckled nervously when he said it, but athletes getting harassed by folks who lost money betting on their performances isn't a laughing matter. Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018 struck down a federal law that had prohibited most states from allowing sports betting, abuse toward athletes from bettors who blame them for their financial losses has soared. Gambling on sports is now legal in 39 states. Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. and Boston Red Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks said recently that their families have received death threats on social media. A man who lost money May 10 when McCullers gave up seven runs while recording only one out in a loss to the Cincinnati Reds threatened to 'murder' McCullers' two young daughters. Police traced the threats to an intoxicated man overseas who had lost money betting on the game. 'I understand people are very passionate and people love the Astros and love sports, but threatening to find my kids and murder them is a little bit tough to deal with,' McCullers said in an understatement. 'There have been many, many threats over the years aimed at me mostly ... but I think bringing kids into the equation, threatening to find them or next time they see us in public they're going to stab my kids to death. Things like that are tough to hear as a dad.' Hendriks posted on his Instagram story that he has received death threats while struggling to regain his form after missing nearly two years because of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and Tommy John surgery. 'Threats against my life and my wife's life are horrible and cruel,' Hendriks wrote. 'You need help. Comments telling me to commit suicide and how you wish I died from cancer are disgusting and vile. Maybe you should take a step back and re-evaluate your life's purpose before hiding behind a screen attacking players and their families. Hendriks later explained to reporters why he responded on social media. 'With the rise of sports gambling, it's gotten a lot worse,' he said. 'Unfortunately, that tends to be what it ends up being — whether it be Venmo requests, whether it be people telling you in their comments, 'Hey, you blew my parlay. Go [f—-] yourself,' kind of stuff.' Some gamblers believe they can impact the outcomes of competition through harassment. FanDuel banned a man in Philadelphia after he bragged on social media about intimidating three-time Olympic gold medalist Gabby Thomas at a Grand Slam Track meet two weeks ago. 'I made Gabby lose by heckling her. And it made my parlay win,' he wrote on a post that included a screenshot of two bets on FanDuel. Thomas responded by posting, 'This grown man followed me around the track as I took pictures and signed autographs for fans (mostly children) shouting personal insults — anybody who enables him online is gross.' College athletes are also targets, especially during high-volume betting events such as March Madness and the College Football Playoff. The NCAA is lobbying for states to ban proposition bets on the performances of individual college athletes, saying it creates a temptation to compromise game integrity. College athletes have long been considered more susceptible to taking money from gamblers than pro athletes because they are amateurs. That will soon change because of the passage last week of the House settlement, a revenue-sharing model that will allow universities to directly pay athletes up to $20.5 million per year. Not to say paying college athletes will insulate them from disgruntled gamblers. The NCAA will continue to press for laws that could ban bettors from state-licensed sportsbooks if they are found guilty of harassment. The sheer volume of betting makes policing the harassment and intimidation of athletes an enormous challenge. This year, it was estimated that $3 billion was legally wagered on the men's and women's NCAA basketball tournaments, according to the American Gaming Association (AGA), an increase of about 10% from 2024. In an attempt to be proactive about harassment ahead of March Madness, the NCAA posted a public service announcement video titled 'Don't Be a Loser.' 'There's losing and then there's being a loser. Game time comes with enough pressure,' the video said. 'Way too often, people are betting on sports, losing, and taking it out on the athletes. Only a loser would harass college athletes after losing a bet, but it happens almost every day. 'Root for your team, get crazy when the buzzer sounds, but don't harass anyone because you lost a bet. It's time we draw the line and put an end to the abuse.' Scheffler drew the line by deleting his Venmo account, which had become just another means for gamblers to communicate with a prominent athlete. His career earnings exceed $150 million, according to Spotrac, but he said a handful of bettors had paid him 'maybe a couple bucks here or there' via Venmo after he won tournaments and presumably lined their pockets as well. 'That didn't happen nearly as much as the requests did,' Scheffler added.
New York Times
18 hours ago
- New York Times
Scottie Scheffler says he deleted Venmo account due to bettors' requests: ‘It wasn't a good feeling'
Being the top-ranked golfer in the world comes with a lot of expectations, but Scottie Scheffler revealed Tuesday there was one place where that weight became unbearable: his Venmo account. Scheffler enters this week's U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club as the heavy favorite (+275 according to BetMGM), though he told reporters he doesn't 'pay attention to the favorite stuff or anything like that.' But he couldn't help but pay attention to the activity in his Venmo account, where he was regularly hearing from fans after performances. Advertisement 'I think everybody hears from fans whether they have a financial benefit or anything in their outcome,' Scheffler said. 'That's why I had to get rid of my Venmo because I was either getting paid by people or people requesting me a bunch of money when I didn't win. It wasn't a good feeling.' Venmo, a peer-to-peer payment service app, allows users to both send payments and request payments from any public account. The 28-year-old said he couldn't remember the most money a fan ever sent him as a thank you for helping them win a bet, but he said it was 'maybe a couple bucks here or there.' 'That didn't happen nearly as much as the requests did,' he added. A growing number of athletes have had negative interactions with bettors. On the opposite side of Pennsylvania from Oakmont, a bettor in Philadelphia was banned by FanDuel after he boasted on social media about heckling and harassing three-time Olympic gold medalist Gabby Thomas at a Grand Slam Track this month. In May, Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. received death threats online from a fan who police later found to be a bettor who was 'frustrated and inebriated when he lashed out on social media.' In The Athletic's anonymous MLB player poll, over 78 percent of players said legalized sports betting has changed the way fans treat them and their teammates. One veteran relief pitcher shared a story of how a fan used Venmo to harass and threaten his family. 'I've received (something) as simple as a Venmo request with a threat on it that says, 'You owe me $9,000 because you blew the game — I need you to send me that money or I'm going to find your family,'' he said. 'That's too far. We've communicated as players to MLB security that we need to get a handle on this before it gets out of control. I don't want to say this, but something bad is going to happen and it's going to be like, 'We told you so.'' Editor's note: The Athletic has a partnership with BetMGM. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
