A woman who was tricked into handing over more than $2,000 traveled 200 miles to get to an ATM for fear of being arrested.
Barbara Earl, 59, said she received a phone call from a man pretending to be a deputy from the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office in Oklahoma.
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The caller claimed she had been called for jury duty, and when she did not show, a citation for contempt of court was issued.
“I immediately told him I didn't have a court date, but he insisted and said I needed to pay $2,000 in bitcoin or face arrest and detention for 72 hours,” Barbara told 2News.
“I was very afraid. He said they were going to take me away from my mother, and that was the turning point.”
Barbara, who is caring for her 101-year-old blind mother, said she was so concerned about her mother's health that she followed the scammer's instructions.
She ended up driving 200 miles across several counties to a Guthrie grocery store using a Bitcoin machine.
“He told me bitcoin was the safest payment method because of Covid,” she recalled.
“Looking back, that was the biggest red flag, but I was just desperate.”
The man stayed on the line the entire time, walking her through the transaction and even asking her to take pictures of the deposits as proof.
Tulsa County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Casey Roebuck said scams like this are an ongoing problem.
“These scams are becoming more common, and we are doing everything we can to warn people,” she warned.
The Sheriff's Office regularly issues warnings about scammers posing as deputies and demanding payment in bitcoin or gift cards to avoid arrest.
Roebuck added that while they have been sending out alerts on social media and through their website, the scams continue to pop up.
Unfortunately, once money is sent via Bitcoin, it is almost impossible to trace or recover it.
Experts warn victims to report these scams to local law enforcement and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which monitors fraud schemes.
Barbara, still reeling from the experience, received another call a few days later from a man using the same name and claiming to be a Tulsa County deputy.
But this time, she didn't fall for it.
“I knew exactly what was happening,” she said. “I did not give him a single penny, and I reported him immediately.”
She hopes that by sharing her story, others will be warned about this dangerous scam before it is too late.
Barbara added: “I don't want anyone else to go through what I did.
“I hope by sharing my experience someone will think twice before handing over their money.”
Expert advice: How to protect yourself from fraud
Craig Costigan, CEO of fraud experts NICE Actimize, offered The US Sun readers the following tips on how to stay safe from scammers.
- As the saying goes, trust but verify. Always ask about your text and email communications. He may not be who you think he is. Look for gifts that are considered a fraudulent email. If your bank contacts you about a scam via text or email, call the number on the back of your credit or debit card to contact the fraud department directly — which is safer than giving your data to impersonators.
- Protect your personally identifiable information such as Social Security cards, blank checks, and other identifiers.
- Always be vigilant. Even the safest and most cautious among us have encountered scammers – we have survived
Because we notified our service providers of the activity immediately, changed our passwords and checked our credit reports for unusual activity. - If you're not applying for credit, you might also consider freezing your credit reports, such as Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax, so scammers can't open accounts in your name. You can easily unfreeze your balance when you want to open a new account.
Sneaky theft
The exact methods remain unclear, but more often than not, scammers call, text, or email and impersonate employees of companies to gain access to their information.
If the couple gave the account information to a fake AT&T employee who contacted them about an update or account issue, they would have access.
These fake calls or messages can sometimes be difficult to spot, as scammers go to great lengths to make them appear credible.
Another possibility could be a data breach, where a hacker gained access to a database of AT&T user information and sold it on the dark web.
To protect yourself, it's always a good idea to create unique passwords and update them regularly.
If there is an option to have multi-factor authentication (MFA) with your account, that is also a great security addition.
You will be sent a one-time code to enter before you can log in to further verify who you really are.
If you discover fraudulent activity, it is always a good idea to file an initial report with the police as well.
