Columbia County residents lose thousands in this sneaky scam

EVANS, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - An old scam is resurfacing with new twist, tricking Columbia County residents into paying money out of fear that they’ve missed jury duty.

And quite a few people are falling for it, judging from reports to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.

The scam works like this: Someone calls saying you or your adult child missed jury duty and if you don’t pay – often using gift cards or an app – a warrant will be issued for your arrest. To add urgency, they’ll say you need to fork over the money that very day.

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The scammers can be pretty sophisticated and convincing, authorities warn. Caller ID may show the call is coming from the sheriff’s office, and the caller may know your name or your child’s name or often gives a real deputy’s name as their own.

But it’s all a scam, no matter how real it seems.

We looked through complaints to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and found a few people have fallen for the scam recently:

• Feb. 20 - A victim on Wythe Drive in Evans lost $1,000 to a scammer claiming to be with the Charleston South Police Department, saying the victim had warrants out for his arrest. The victim sent the money through Apple pay.
• Feb. 8 - A victim on Mary Hill Court in Evans, lost $900 when he paid a scammer using two money pack cards. The victim was told he’d been scheduled for a federal court case on Jan. 3.
• Feb. 11 - A Lewiston Road resident lost $449 to the scam. In this variation, the caller said the office was trying a new payment system and would not be accepting credit cards, only transactions through CashApp.
• Jan. 23 - A victim on Hardy Pointe Drive in Evans paid an unspecified amount when the caller claimed he was a deputy with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, then transferred her to another so-called deputy wanting money cards and ultimately to someone claiming to be with the Department of Treasury wanting payment through Zelle.
• Jan. 20 - A victim lost $732 to the crime when someone posing as a deputy demanded the money through CashApp.

“Our sheriff’s office will never call someone to advise them that an arrest warrant has been issued and advise that service of that warrant can be avoided if they make some form of payment,” said Maj. Steve Morris of the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.

He urged would-be victims to report the scam by calling 706-541-2800.

Also in the news ...

• Meanwhile, another scam has callers posing as employees of the Georgia Community Supervision. Targets include people under supervision and their family , with callers providing information on tentative release dates and demanding payment for electronic monitoring services so the inmate could be released. The agency said it will never call of the public and threaten to arrest them and demand payment of unspecified “fees or services.”

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