Tarrant County scam targeting retirees costs veteran $14,000

Tarrant County veteran scammed out of $14,000

The Tarrant County Sheriff's Office is sounding the alarm about scammers targeting retired people and stealing thousands of dollars.

TARRANT COUNTY, Texas - The Tarrant County Sheriff's Office is sounding the alarm about scammers targeting retired people and stealing thousands of dollars.

The scam convinces victims they're facing legal trouble if they don't hand over hard-earned cash.

Tarrant County retiree scam

Phone call to woman from scam or fraud caller. via Getty Images

"They told me they were from the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office and there was two warrants for my arrest," said Phillips.

Retired US Air Force Tech Sgt. Bill Phillips thought he’d received an exemption from jury duty for medical reasons. His late wife, Ngoc Phillips, had been in hospice care and passed away in June.  

Not only is he now a widower, but also a target for a scam.

Timeline:

The scammers contacted Phillips by phone, falsely telling him they represented the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office. 

At first, he says, they told him he faced two outstanding arrest warrants. 

Eventually, they demanded $2,500 for each fake warrant to prevent jail time.

The scam artist on Phillip's phone had him go to his bank, and ultimately two separate Bitcoin kiosks, including one at a North Fort Worth convenience store.

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The woman says she received a call from someone claiming to be a Dallas County deputy saying she could be arrested for missing jury duty. They even provided a real badge number.

The scammer walked Phillips through the process, keeping him on the phone for several hours and preventing him from contacting anyone else for help.

A $5,000 payment was first, followed by two more $4,500 charges for additional fake warrants, which the scammer claimed were on behalf of the district attorney.

The scammer then wanted another $3,000 for fees, but at that moment, a young cashier intervened, recognizing what was happening.

What they're saying:

"I stopped, I didn’t put any more money in there. But I did take $200 and gave it to the clerk and told him thank you very much. I appreciated that, because he saved me $3,000 more dollars."

Sheriff's office warns of scammers

According to Detective Kristen Sanders with the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Department, scammers like these spoof legitimate numbers so that caller ID shows falsely as law enforcement. 

Sanders pointed out that if Phillips hadn’t answered, he might’ve received a fake message threatening legal action.

"Our secretaries here, our staff here field calls every day from people trying to verify if calls they’re getting are legitimate and, of course, we’re telling them it’s a scam, hang up on the number," said Sanders.