Athens woman buys gift cards after falling for arrest warrant scam

An Athens woman who fell for a scam last year was hoodwinked again recently to the tune of about $4,500.

When Athens-Clarke police responded to the woman’s home for a report she explained that in September 2022, she was involved in a scam where she lost $4,000. That scam was not detailed in the report.

The 60-year-old woman explained that on July 10, she received an e-mail showing a Paypal transaction on her account for $422, then another transaction was made on July 11 for $477.

The woman called a number listed on the e-mail and this resulted in a conversation with two men she identified as Thomas and Paul, according to the report. The men claimed to be marshals and they had a warrant for her arrest.

The men said she would not be arrested if she provided payments through Target and Apple gift cards with specific instructions not to tell anyone about the calls or why she was purchasing the cards, according to the report.

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The woman reported she explained to the men that she didn’t drive, so they instructed her to use a Lyft ride, which cost her $57.

The woman also installed the Anydesk app on her phone to allow Paul and Thomas access to her phone. They transferred $179 out of her Cashapp account.

The woman told the officer she purchased $3,390 worth of gift cards and provided them with the activation numbers.

On Thursday, July 27, the woman realized she had been scammed, so she called to report the theft that totaled about $4,500, including her hired car ride.

The officer explained to her some of the common scam practices and advised her to delete Anydesk from her phone.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Athens woman loses about $4,500 in arrest warrant scam