By Michael V. Hannigan
WARNING: The Jury Duty Scam is back.
Athens Police Chief Buddy Hill said his department received several calls today about the scam including at least one victim who lost $500.
Hill said scammers called area residents today pretending to be a representative of one of the county’s district courts. They inform the person that they have missed jury duty and are subject to a fine or arrest if the fine is not paid. The victim is instructed to purchase a pre-paid money card (such as a Green-Dot card) for a certain amount to settle the fine. Once the victim does this and provides the caller with the card number, the money is instantly withdrawn from the card.
Hill said, “We want to remind everyone that a legitimate court will not ask for payment over the phone, nor will they instruct you to purchase a pre-paid money card. If you believe, or if you are told, that you have outstanding business with a branch of the government, contact the agency directly through a known source of communication rather than relying on what someone is telling you on the phone. There is a good chance that the person is not who they say they are.”
Henderson County residents were first warned about the Jury Duty Scam back in December when Sheriff Ray Nutt released a warning. Not long after the warning, officials reported that a prisoner in the Georgia State Penitentiary was identified as the prime suspect in the scam.
Hill said his department would be “consulting with the Sheriff’s Department and the authorities in Georgia to try and determine if the actor in today’s scams is the same person that was responsible for the previous scams.”