Fraud alert: Warren residents lose tens of thousands to new phone scam

WCSO warns of 'missed court date' fraud

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The Warren County Sheriff’s Office is warning you to be on the lookout for a new fraud scam targeting the county.

Scammers are calling, telling community members you have missed your court date or jury duty, and the only way to avoid arrest or persecution is to pay via gift cards over the phone.

The WCSO says many times these overseas scammers will speak with regional accents or call from numbers with 270 area codes to make their fraud more convincing. 

Already, a number of locals have lost tens of thousands to this scam in particular, according to The WCSO.

WCSO Sheriff Brett Hightower said the best way you can avoid falling victim is to, “have a general awareness of the fact that these continually happen and that law enforcement would never, ever ask you to pay over the phone or pay any type of fine that way. We don’t handle any financial matters like that at all.”

Sheriff Hightower says you will never have to settle court fees or warrants by sending cash/gift cards/Bitcoin to someone via any app (PayPal, CashApp, Venmo), kiosk, or US Mail.