TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Tampa Bay area woman is warning others about a sophisticated phone scheme that nearly cost her family $9,000.
Katrina Ausley said it started with a voicemail claiming her husband had missed jury duty and could face arrest. The caller identified himself as “Lieutenant Jason Allen” with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office civil service division and even cited a federal grand jury summons.
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The message included the address of a real courthouse and was followed by texted documents including what appeared to be a state court order and an “arrest warrant” with her husband’s name, fake officers badge numbers, and signatures.
“When the situation is really high and intense, we couldn’t tell it was a forgery,” Ausley said. “My husband was very worried. He has a federal-facing job, so he didn’t want to be in trouble for missing jury duty or grand jury.”…