A woman fell victim to a scam where she mistakenly deposited over $12,000 into a bitcoin ATM machine after receiving a call from an individual who pretended to be a Florida deputy, according to federal prosecutors.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, a Sarasota resident fell victim to a “jury duty scam” orchestrated by an incarcerated man in a Georgia prison and his female accomplice outside of prison.
According to court filings, Anthony Sanders, a 28-year-old individual identified as a “documented gang member,” allegedly defrauded a woman while serving a seven-year sentence for charges including involuntary manslaughter, unlawful acts of violence in a penal institution, and violating Georgia’s “street gang terrorism act.”
In a news release on January 8, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that Sanders, a resident of McRae-Helena, Georgia, and his co-defendant, Marlita Andrews, a 28-year-old resident of Macon, Georgia, were indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
We do not have immediate access to information about their legal representation.
According to records from the state Department of Corrections, Sanders was released from Telfair State Prison in McRae-Helena on December 14. The prison is located approximately 125 miles west of Savannah.
Court records indicate that Andrews was apprehended on December 12th for his involvement in a wire fraud conspiracy charge, while Sanders was taken into custody on January 2nd.
The jury duty scam is a fraudulent scheme that targets unsuspecting individuals. It involves scammers posing as officials from the court system and contacting potential victims via phone or email. The scammers claim that the individual has failed to appear for jury duty and as a result, they are now facing legal consequences. They may also threaten the victim with arrest or fines if they do not comply with their demands.
These scammers often use intimidation tactics to pressure their victims into providing personal information or making payments. They may request sensitive details such as social security numbers, bank account information, or credit card numbers under the guise of verifying the victim’s identity or resolving the situation. In some cases, they may even instruct the victim to purchase prepaid gift cards or wire money as a means of payment.
It is important to note that legitimate court officials will never contact individuals by phone or email regarding jury duty. They typically communicate through official mail correspondence. If you receive a suspicious call or email claiming to be related to jury duty, it is best to hang up or delete the message. Do not provide any personal information or make any payments.
If you believe you have been targeted by the jury duty scam, it is crucial to report the incident to your local authorities and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). By doing so, you can help prevent others from falling victim to this fraudulent scheme. Stay vigilant and protect yourself from scams by being cautious of unsolicited communications and never sharing personal information with unknown individuals or organizations.
In January 2024, the woman informed authorities that she had fallen victim to a “warrant scam,” resulting in a loss of over $12,000, as stated in the prosecution’s motion to detain Sanders before the trial.
According to prosecutors, a caller pretending to be a deputy from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office in Florida informed her that there was a warrant for her arrest. The reason given for the warrant was that she had missed jury duty.
The caller instructed her to resolve the warrant by making a payment at a “Bonding Transition Center,” which, unbeknownst to her, was a bitcoin ATM machine where cryptocurrencies can be bought and sold, according to prosecutors.
According to prosecutors, the woman fell victim to a deceptive scheme where she was convinced to deposit a substantial sum of money in the form of cryptocurrency. Subsequently, her funds were transferred to a bitcoin wallet that was connected to Andrews.
The next day, Andrews proceeded to distribute the woman’s money to various accounts, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors claim that Sanders instructed Andrews on where to send the money.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he was able to maintain communication with her by using phones that he had access to while he was in prison. It was revealed that he even instructed Andrews to buy prepaid phones and send them to him in prison, using a drone.
According to prosecutors, the Sarasota woman is just one of many individuals in the United States who have come forward to report being targeted by jury duty scams.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the investigation conducted by law enforcement has uncovered the involvement of inmates in Georgia state prisons in a fraudulent scheme. These inmates are using prepaid phones that they have obtained illegally. It is suspected that individuals outside the prison may also be assisting with receiving the funds or transferring them to different accounts.
In 2024, prosecutors revealed that authorities in Sarasota, located about 60 miles south of Tampa, received over 30 reports from victims who fell prey to jury duty scams. Shockingly, these victims collectively lost more than $150,000.
According to prosecutors, Sanders poses a significant threat to the community due to his criminal history.
According to the filing, Sanders carried out a fraudulent scam and targeted multiple victims while serving his prison sentence.
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