Missing jury duty won't get you thrown into jail, but that's what scam artists have been telling people in Williamson County, and walking away with thousands of dollars.
Officials with the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office said they have been receiving calls about an old scam from crooks claiming to be deputies.
Callers have reportedly said they were collecting money from people who skipped jury duty.
Victims usually fall for this by buying green dot cards and sending the money to what they think is a legit law enforcement agency, only to find out it's all a scam.
Officials said meeting up with people to pay money is dangerous and should never be done.
"We are strongly urging people – we're stressing this quite a bit right now – do not go and meet someone. Do not do that at all," said spokesperson Sharon Puckett.
The most recent calls have come from a number with a 615 area code. The person has claimed to be with the sheriff's office, telling victims he's collecting money after a warrant has been issued for someone who failed to appear for jury duty.
Franklin resident Laura Keeter said she got the fake call on Sunday. The suspect told her she needed to pay $1,250 to avoid going to jail.
"I am so mad at myself that I fell for this garbage, enough that it just really worked me up to the point where I was about to sit down and cry cause I didn't know what was going on. I've never been in a situation like this," said Keeter.
Fortunately, Keeter did not lose any money because there were many red flags. When she asked the crook where to buy a green dot card he named a store that's not in the area and couldn't really say with credibility why he wanted her to send a money order to Augusta, Georgia.
"I said Williamson County handles their own finances, and he said, ‘Oh no, not when people post bonds. That's handled by their financial company in Augusta, Georgia,’” said Keeter.
Sharon Puckett said the sheriff’s office would never ask nor collect money over the phone. The Williamson County Clerks Office said no one has missed jury duty in the last decade. It's up to the judge to issue an arrest warrant for those that do, but this has not happened in a while.
If someone fails to appear in court, the clerk's office will contact them to let them know but they won't ask for money either. Puckett said the best way to avoid becoming victims is to talk to others about the scam, especially to the elderly who tend to fall pray more often.
To learn about scams in your area you can check out the Better Business Bureau's scam tracker.
