ANDERSON COUNTY, Tenn. — Scammers are increasingly impersonating law enforcement officers to defraud Anderson County residents, with one victim losing $12,000 to a fake jury duty violation, Sheriff Russell Barker said.
The scams typically involve callers claiming to represent the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department or other law enforcement agencies. They tell victims their loved ones have been arrested, they’ve missed jury duty, or they have unpaid tickets that require immediate payment to avoid arrest.
“Law enforcement will never contact you and ask you to pay money over the phone to satisfy any kind of bond, ticket, parking ticket, nothing,” Barker said. “They will always require you to come in person, period.”
Common scam variations
The most frequent scam involves callers claiming a family member has been arrested and needs bail money. In one recent case, scammers demanded payment for three separate charges: bond at Anderson County jail, bond in Blount County and payment for an ankle monitor…