Monroe County sheriff warns of scam calls demanding Bitcoin and gift cards

The sheriff says scammers are posing as law enforcement and pressuring residents to pay fake warrants.

FORSYTH, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about scam calls involving fake warrants.

Sheriff Brad Freeman says scammers are contacting people claiming they missed jury duty or have an active warrant, and demanding immediate payment to avoid arrest.

“The caller tells them in order to get out of going to jail, they need to go buy Bitcoin or some type of gift card and give them the number off the card,” Freeman said. “And unfortunately many people fall for the scam because obviously they don’t want to go to jail and they think this is their way of getting out of going to jail, but this is nothing more than a rip off.”

According to Freeman, many of these calls originate from overseas and can happen throughout the week, sometimes multiple times a day.

He says the scams are designed to create fear and pressure victims into paying quickly.

“I think I probably speak for all the sheriffs in the state of Georgia,” he said. “We would never ask you to go pay a fine or pay anything with Bitcoin and certainly not with an iTunes gift card. No way, no how we would ever do that.”

Freeman says if you are unsure about a warrant or jury duty, you should contact the sheriff’s office or the clerk of court directly to verify the information.

The sheriff’s office is encouraging residents to stay alert and never share personal or financial information with unknown callers.