Scams, New and Old, Circulating in Our Area

The Hart County Sheriff’s Office says the jury duty scam is circulating again.

Hart County Sheriff Chief Investigator Chris Carroll issued a press release Friday saying they have
gotten reports from citizens saying they’ve received a call from someone claiming to be with the Sheriff’s Office telling them they had missed Jury duty.

What makes the calls believable, Carroll said, is that the caller is “spoofing” the Sheriff’s office phone number which comes up on their caller ID or cell phone to make the call look legit.

Carroll says the scammer tells the person there’s a warrant out for their arrest for missing jury duty and they can take care of the warrant by paying a fine.

The scammer then instructs the individual to go to a cryptocurrency machine and send them a large amount of money in order to take care of the warrant.

Carroll said the Hart County Sheriff’s Office will not contact you by phone about a warrant and will not ask you to pay money to have the warrant taken care of.

He added the scammers are calling from overseas and if you send them money you will never get it back.

If someone like this calls you, hang up the phone and contact the Hart County Sheriff’s Office immediately.

In Franklin County, scammers have been going door to door trying to sell homeowners paving services or asphalt coating.

The Sheriff’s office said the products sold typically are not quality and wash away after it rains.

They said the vehicles that the fraudsters are reportedly driving have South Carolina tags.

Sheriff Steve Thomas said if someone comes to your door trying to sell you on asphalt or driveway paving, ask them to leave and then call 911 or check with the Sheriff’s office first.

In Franklin County, door-to-door salespeople must have a permit.

These scammers have also been reported in Stephens County.

You can also check with the Better Business Bureau of the Georgia Dept of Consumer Affairs.