Scammers are still succeeding in spoof calls with the latest victim believing they were getting a call from an alleged Sergeant Pierce at the Sheriff’s Office.
An Afton man reported he paid $2,000 after receiving a call for a failure to appear. The victim was told there was a warrant out for his arrest and he had two options, either pay two separate fines or go to jail and handle the matter in court.
Two suspects spoke to the man over the phone. The other suspect claimed he was Lieutenant Gray. The victim was advised to withdraw $2,000 and take it to a coin exchange machine at a grocery store. They also required the man to buy Bitcoin from their account, according to the report. The suspects asked for an additional $7,500 to complete the fine.
The suspects were unknown at the time of the report. The call reportedly mimicked the Sheriff’s Office phone number. In Tennessee, it is now a Class A misdemeanor to send inaccurate or misleading caller ID information with the intent to defraud, harm, or steal. The Tennessee Attorney General may seek a court order and recover a penalty of up to $10,000 per violation.
If you think you’ve been the victim of a spoofing scam, you can file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission.
