Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office warns the public of ongoing phone scam

ALBANY — Telephone scammers have been preying on people of all ages through a scheme to bait the victims into paying large sums of money to avoid incarceration.

The Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office wants citizens to know about this threat, the suspected groups behind it and how to stop themselves from falling victim to it.

Capt. Craig Dodd, chief investigator for sheriff’s office, said that on Tuesday a woman reported she had been contacted by these individuals and became a victim to the scam. The woman told investigators that the caller reached her while she was at work and claimed to be Deputy James Marshall from the sheriff’s office.

Dodd said that there is no person by that name in the department.

The subject told the woman that for refusing to appear in court, there was a warrant out for her arrest even though the woman told investigators that she had never once been subpoenaed for court. The caller told her that she would need to pay a $2,000 fine to the court, but he would be able to accept the money over the phone in order to prevent officers from coming to her home to arrest her. He instructed her to buy four “Green Dot” cards with $500 on each card, and with the codes written on the back, she would be free on bond or bail.

Officials said the woman, who is a veterinarian, was forced to leave her job to comply with the false officer’s demands. He would not allow her to hang up the phone until the transaction was complete. The subject instructed the woman on which Rite Aid to go to, which lead investigators to believe that they are using personal information and computers to pinpoint the victims’ whereabouts and that the scammers know the area well.

The reason the Rite Aid was chosen was that not all stores carry Green Dot cards. After she gave the caller the money card codes, it was over and the perpetrator had taken her money.

“These guys are really good con artists,” Dodd said on why these calls are so effective. “They have an answer for every question that you ask them.”

He said that investigators believe they have a book of scripts to follow, like 911 operators. Telemarketers use the same method. He also said these scammers will use the names of law enforcement personnel who have appeared in the media and also judges’ names during the times of the year when court takes place to make their story seem more realistic.

The sheriff’s office wants citizens to know that they do not call people who have warrants out for their arrests. Officials said the office will always go in person to serve warrants, and that any mail sent to Dougherty County citizens addressed from the office must be authorized by Sheriff Kevin Sproul.

Dodd said even though the more elaborate schemes come from outside of the county, these scams are coming directly from inside the prison system. It has been proven in the state of Georgia that inmates have used contraband cell phones to run these schemes. Illegal cellphones are a problem in the prison system, but the Federal Communications Commission will not allow for them to be shut down regardless of crimes committed as a result of the contraband cellphones.

Cell phones have been smuggled in through cut fences and by prison staff members, but some people have gone as far as to drop the phones into the prisons by drones. The money taken from victims is funneled back into the prison system after it is distributed into smaller accounts.

Official said these subjects are likely working for gangs and are using the money to pay off gambling debts, drug debts, protection debts and other financial problems inmates within the prison system incur. These scammers know the time frames of the judicial system and use that to their advantage.

“They can say that Judge So-and-So basically issued a warrant for your arrest because you didn’t show up for court,” Dodd explained. “They have all the right answers and they know everything. One of the reasons we know these to be convicts is because they do know all that information, and who would better know than the people who have sat in court and gotten convicted and sent to prison it?”

Those who receive suspicious phone calls from supposed law enforcement officers are encouraged to contact the sheriff’s office for more information and to report the call. People are urged to never give personal or financial information to strangers, and if they receive calls from scammers, to hang up the phone immediately.

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