It’s no secret that most parents will do anything for their children and that college students can sometimes get into trouble.
That’s why phone scammers pretending to be university law enforcement officials are calling parents or guardians of students at Georgia universities to say they have outstanding warrants or fines against their children and need immediate payment, according to a new memo from FBI Atlanta.
However, law enforcement never calls about an arrest warrant for missing jury duty, the FBI said.
The scammers instill fear in their victims by saying the court is holding their child in contempt for failure to appear for jury duty and that the child can’t speak with them because they’re under a “gag order.” To prevent the parent from trying to call their child, the scammer says they have to remain on the line until the bond is paid.
To add credibility to the scam, scammers are able to make their phone number appear to be the one used by the agency they’re impersonating. They also use a real law enforcement official’s name, position and address in case the victim decides to research them.
FBI Atlanta said if you receive a voicemail from law enforcement demanding a call-back, contact your local police department to verify the call first.
The Internet and phone age has led to an alarming increase in scam complaints.
Losses from reported Internet crimes have risen from $2.7 billion in 2018 to over $10 billion in 2022, according to an annual FBI report.
Last year, Georgia was fifth in the nation for states with the most victim losses at $323 million.
