A Georgia couple were told they had missed federal jury duty and needed to pay immediately to avoid arrest. Deputies say the call sent them to a Bitcoin machine at a local gas station with more than $12,000 at risk.
The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office said a store clerk recognized the situation as a scam before the loss became permanent. The couple reported the call to deputies, and investigators recovered the deposited money.
WSB-TV covered the case in a segment titled “One phone call nearly cost a Fayette County couple over $12,000.” Yahoo’s syndicated video listing shows the WSB segment was posted Friday, June 5.
The Call Claimed They Missed Federal Jury Duty
The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office said the couple received a phone call claiming they had missed federal jury duty. The caller told them they needed to make an immediate payment to avoid arrest.
The FTC says missed-jury-duty scams often begin with someone pretending to be from a police department or court. The caller may claim there is a warrant for the person’s arrest and that payment is the only way to cancel it.
The Northern District of Georgia warns that scammers may use real court addresses, real names of law enforcement officers, court officials, and federal judges, spoofed court numbers, and fake arrest warrants or appearance bonds to make the call appear legitimate.
The Money Was Going Into a Bitcoin Machine
The sheriff’s office said the callers instructed the couple to deposit more than $12,000 into a Bitcoin machine at a local gas station.
The payment method is one of the clearest warning signs. The FTC says only scammers insist on payment through cryptocurrency, gift cards, payment apps, or wire transfers because those methods are difficult to reverse.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland issued a similar scam warning in May, saying court and jury scammers may tell victims to pay at a Bitcoin ATM by depositing cash, using a debit or credit card, or scanning a QR code at the machine.
In Fayette County, the store clerk recognized the situation as a scam before the couple lost everything. The couple then went to the sheriff’s office and filed a report.
Deputies Say Investigators Recovered the Money
The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office said investigators quickly began working the case and determined the call was part of a scam.
The sheriff’s office said all of the deposited money was recovered. The agency also warned that this outcome is uncommon.
“Unfortunately, recovering stolen funds is rare, and most victims do not get their money back,” the sheriff’s office said in the official post.
The recovery was the unusual part. The clerk recognized the scam, the couple reported it quickly, and investigators moved before the loss became permanent.
Real Courts Do Not Demand Payment This Way
The Northern District of Georgia says legitimate jury communications come by U.S. Mail. A prospective juror who disregards a jury summons may be contacted through the mail by the court clerk’s office and, in some circumstances, ordered to appear before a judge. The court says that order would be in writing, signed by the judge, and sent by mail, not email.
The same court warning says neither the court nor law enforcement will demand payment over the phone or by email. The court also says it does not have a kiosk to accept payments and that neither the court nor law enforcement will instruct someone to pay at a kiosk.
Anyone who gets a missed-jury-duty call should hang up and contact the court directly through a verified number. Do not use a number, link, QR code, or payment instruction supplied by the caller.
Anyone who has already deposited money should contact local law enforcement immediately, report the incident to the FTC, and file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
