Woman duped by fake deputy in $2,000 jury duty scam at Allegheny County Courthouse ATM
PITTSBURGH —
A scammer tricked a victim into sending them $2,000 using an ATM at the Allegheny County Courthouse.
Officials are warning the public after a victim was tricked by someone who had called her phone and told her they were an Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office deputy.
That person was not a deputy, but a scam artist.
The scammer told the victim she had signed paperwork in May saying she would appear for jury duty. They then said the victim had missed that jury duty date and was now facing a misdemeanor charge for failing to show.
Police say the caller said the victim would have to pay the Sheriff’s Office $2,000 to clear the charge. After paying the charge, the caller allegedly told the victim they could speak with a judge and get her money back.
The victim said they agreed to the charge and was told to go to the ATM inside the Treasurer’s Office at the Allegheny County Courthouse.
The scammer gave the victim a code which gave cardless access to the ATM, telling her it was used to pay fines.
Authorities say she was then given a second code to allegedly identify her case.
Once the codes were input, the victim inserted $2,000 into the ATM and deposited the money.
She then went to the Sheriff’s Office where she learned she had been scammed.
Officials are reminding the public that they will not contact you by phone to discuss a missing jury duty date or request payment over the phone.
“Our office will never request that you use any type of kiosk, such as a cryptocurrency kiosk or an ATM in order to pay a fine and clear a charge or warrant,” a release from the Sheriff’s Office stated. “Our office will never request payment using gift cards or using a payment app like Venmo, Zelle or Cash App in order to pay a fine or clear a charge or warrant.”
An investigation into the scam is ongoing.