Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office warns of jury duty phone scam

ALBANY — Phone scammers are at it again in the Albany area, Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office officials warned during a news conference Tuesday, and this time, it’s personal, as perpetrators have claimed to be the department’s Capt. Craig Dodd.

Dodd has spearheaded most all of the anti-scam investigations in Albany/Dougherty County, and the captain admitted he was a little surprised to learn that the latest scammers are claiming to be him.

“The beginning of the jury term was last week for Superior Court, and naturally every time you have that we get a lot of (legitimate) calls from people about missed summons or that they didn’t appear where they were supposed to be for their jury summons,” Dodd said during the news conference. “These scammers know that. They are calling people and telling them that they missed their jury summons for last week and they have to pay a $410 fine or face contempt charges. But this time the scam is unique because they are using my name.”

Dodd said he is taking the latest scam “personally” and would pay close attention to the case.

“They are calling people and telling them that they are Capt. Dodd of the Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office,” Dodd said. “Apparently, because you guys in the media have spread the word so well about different scams that now the scam-artists have decided to start using my name. I am feeling a little personally affronted by this.”

The captain said he called the press gathering to set the record straight.

“So I just want to get out to people that while I do make phone calls, I do not call anyone about warrants or having a warrant for them or that sort of thing,” Dodd said. “If we have a warrant for someone, we do not telephone them about it, we simply go and pick them up. Anyone calling and telling you that they are from the court or the Sheriff’s Office, or that they are me, and that you have to a pay a $400 or $1,400, whatever it may be, fine, then that is going to be a scam. Pretty much countywide people have reported getting these phone calls, but they are not legitimate.”

According to Dodd, the number and variety of scams typically increase during the holiday season.

“The main scams that we get this time of year are charity scams,” Dodd said. “This is the time of year when the charities really come out, trying to get holiday money, and the scammers know this. So make sure that you know who you are giving to. If you solicit them, most of the time it’s probably OK, but if they solicit you over the phone, it could be a 50/50 chance that it’s a scam.”

Dodd explained that phone scams, because of technology and the ingenuity of the scammers, are hard to investigate.

“Many of these scams come from inside the jail or jails,” Dodd said. “The scammers will use throwaway cell phones that are hard to track. Many times the calls come from other countries. If someone calls you and tells you that his name is Jerry Reed and he has a strong Pakistani accent, be suspicious.”

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