The simple act of answering a telephone call recently lured two Athens residents into scams that cost them thousands.
One scam is common and notoriously successful in that the caller convinces people they are wanted on an arrest warrant. The only way to avoid jail is paying money, usually with a gift card, but a method becoming more common is paying by cryptocurrency.
The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office warned people on April 28 that it was “seeing an uptick in scam calls impersonating law enforcement in our area.”
If someone calls saying you must pay with gift cards, cryptocurrency or GreenDot cards, then “congratulations, you’re being scammed,” the sheriff’s office reported.
Law enforcement doesn’t operate this way, according to the sheriff’s office.
“If you have a warrant, we’ll save you the trouble and come by your house, in uniform, with a badge, place you in handcuffs, and arrest you the old-fashioned way,” the Facebook post explained.
In the recent case, a 50-year-old Athens man reported to Athens-Clarke police on April 17 that he received a call from someone claiming to be a Clarke County sheriff’s deputy and due to a warrant he had to pay $2,000 to avoid arrest.
The man received a Quick Response barcode that he scanned on his cellphone. He was then led to a bitcoin kiosk, where he deposited $2,000.
The other case was different in that a 62-year-old Athens man reported he received a call on April10 from a man identifying himself as an official with his bank. The man reported he was on the phone with the caller for more than two hours, during which time he provided his debit card information, according to the report released on April 29.
The man reported he discovered afterward that $12,000 was removed from his account, but the bank replaced the money. Then four days later, three debit charges were made to account for $7,550, which he has yet not been reimbursed.
The man told the officer he is working with the bank to prevent further transactions.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Athens area scams continue to reel in victims and their money