Clarke County Democrat

Phone number may look local but it’s still a scam




Scammers are getting more and more sophisticated.

In Thomasville, local citizens have been getting phone calls that they have delinquent city court fines. The calls are made to seem more legitimate because they show up with a 636 Thomasville phone prefix on caller IDs. The caller wants the individual to give them a credit card or debit card number to take care of the fine.

Thomasville Mayor Sheldon Day said these calls are scams and are not coming from a Thomasville phone number. Day said there is technology now that allows someone to use numbers that have not been assigned to anyone. He said these appeared to be old numbers that have been taken out of service. The calls are likely being made from out of state or even out of the country.

“This is a scam,” Day said. “The City of Thomasville does not collect fees over the phone. If you have any questions regarding the court system or fees you might owe, contact the court to verify. Secondly, if you get a call for any reason for something you are not sure about, ask for their name and a call back number to give you time to verify.” Day urged citizens not to give anyone credit card information over the phone unless you are sure who you are talking to.

Citizens should call the Thomasville Police Department if they receive one of these calls, Day added.

Jury duty scam

In other scam news, Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange warned of a scam of someone pretending to be law enforcement, or with a court system. They call the victim — often an elderly person — and threaten the victim with arrest for missing jury duty, but then offers to handle the matter for money, over the telephone. Circuit clerks around the state have reported increasing incidents, with the scam artists growing more and more sophisticated in their efforts to trick people.

The scammer usually informs the victim that there is a warrant for the victim’s arrest for failing to report for jury duty. He, or she, then advises that bond has been ordered, sometimes dropping a local judge’s name for effect. The scammer then reassures the victim the whole matter can be settled without the victim being arrested if the victim will just agree to purchase a pre-paid credit card and pay the bond over the phone. Victims have sometimes been instructed to go to a specific retail store to obtain such a card.

Like the Thomasville scam, the calls are often made using local telephone numbers from pre-paid cell phones.

They have been reported around the state and have recently spread into southwest Alabama.

Strange cautioned, “Please know, you will not be threatened with arrest, nor be asked to pay any fine, or post any bond in this manner. If, for any reason, the courts have an issue with you, you would usually be notified in writing and be ordered to contact the clerk’s office, either in person or by telephone.”



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