Scammers Strike Again: Rector Woman Duped Out of $8,000 by Fake Cops

JONESBORO, Ark. – A woman recently found herself the target of scammers who duped her out of $8,000, a police report filed in Jonesboro said.

It happened around 7:42 PM on February 23. A 52-year-old Rector woman told police she had been contacted by “Officer David Gilmore” with the Jonesboro Police Department. The purported officer told her she had a warrant for contempt of court on a sexual assault case – but she had never received a summons.

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The scammer persisted, saying that she had signed her name on a summons at the courthouse, despite the fact she did not. The incident report states the subject told her Judge “Tommy Fuller” had issued two failure to appear warrants and a contempt of court warrant, with a $4,000 penalty assigned twice.

The subject told her she had two options: pay the penalties or have the officers come to her job and arrest her. The victim apparently withdrew $8,000 and sent it to them in cryptocurrency, the report states.

The scammers then told the victim to take the “bonding vouchers” to the police department. Sensing that they could possibly steal more money, the scammer then said his superior officer, Chief Rick Elliott, needed to speak to her because she owed even more fines.

What makes it so convincing is that the callers use a number spoofing device, so the caller ID shows a legitimate number for the Jonesboro Police Department.

“We’re not going to be calling you demanding money,” said JPD’s Public Information Specialist Sally Smith. “We’re not going to tell you to get cryptocurrency or another gift card. Hang up and call your local police department. Don’t have them call you back because they’ll clone another number.”

The victim finally realized she was being scammed when she spoke to the person pretending to be the police chief and he spoke with a “northern accent.” She went to JPD, where she filed the report. In the middle of speaking to police, the subject called her back and told her she was in violation of a gag order by conversing with an unauthorized subject (the officer). The suspect demanded she leave where she was and go to her car for units to be dispatched to arrest her.

The suspects in the case face felony charges including theft. However, detectives have already placed the case in an inactive status, pending some sort of development that can identify the likely out-of-state suspect.

The incident is very similar to another reported on February 16 by the Jonesboro Police Department’s Facebook page. Scammers were claiming they were Sgt. Lane Holmes while calling a victim asking for a gift card over the phone to pay a bond. Aside from the fact that bonds aren’t paid to the police department, no government agent will ever ask you for money through a gift card.

Hang up and call the authorities back if you aren’t sure. They can spoof the number on your caller ID, but they can’t intercept a phone call you make to the real number.

Another scam hit Jonesboro today (Wednesday), Smith said. The scam suspect is reportedly having people meet him in odd places to buy items from Facebook Marketplace and paying them a fake $100 bill. Smith urged the public to meet people at the Jonesboro Police Department or another SwapSpot.

• Jonesboro Police Headquarters- 1001 S. Caraway Rd.

• Jonesboro Fire Station #1- 3215 E. Johnson Ave.

• Jonesboro Fire Station #2- 1413 W. Nettleton Ave.

• Jonesboro Fire Station #3- 2212 Brazos St.

• Justice Complex- 410 W. Washington Ave.