A Texas woman claims she was scammed out of $4,000 within three hours by a fake deputy. The caller supposedly told her she had a warrant for her arrest for failing to appear in court if she did not pay the fines. Not wanting to go to jail, she allegedly complied with her instructions. The woman lives in the Houston, Texas area. She explains that her daughter wanted her to make the video as a PSA to warn other residents. Over 50,000 have viewed the video, with thousands liking it.
The Texas woman claims that a man, who said he was a deputy, called her. He told her that a “federal jury summons went [to an old address]” and had come back to the sheriff’s office. This summons supposedly said she had to appear in court on April 1. She received the call on April 10. Allegedly, she had a “warrant out for [her] arrest for failure to appear in court.” Though she is aware of scams, the caller played on her emotions. She explains, “I was paranoid because I didn’t want to go to jail.”
The woman was told she had two $1,000 fines she had to pay before heading to the substation. Allegedly, the caller kept her on the phone the entire time as she went back to withdraw the money. She claims, “I couldn’t hang up on them.” The caller sent the Texas woman bar codes to pay the fines. However, she was informed she had federal and state charges, which led to another $2,000 in fines. She maintains that she went to the substation where a lieutenant came out, took her phone, and supposedly informed the caller, “This is a scam.”
Many Warn Texas Woman Of Red Flags
Several have commented on the TikTok video, asking the Texas woman how many red flags she experienced. One commenter says, “Sorry that happened to you, but all that was a Red Flag.” Another informs her, “First of all, a police officer would show up at your door, not call you.” However, another commenter disagrees, claiming they were called by a detective: “It was a 100% legit, so it all depends.” Most want to share advice on spotting scammers. One says to “always call the clerks first about any type of jury service!” Another wants everyone to know, “there is no federal or state institution that has that type of time to give you step-by-step instructions.”
In the video, she says she wants this to serve as a PSA because of the emotional duress she claims led her to fall for the scam. That has drawn attention to the video, as even those familiar with scams can be fooled if they feel afraid. Others have expressed similar situations.
It is unknown if any charges will be pursued against the scammer or if the Texas woman will get her money back.
