LogFAQs > #979963416

To those wondering how the scam would even work

I dont know for sure. However my Mother was called a couple months back by someone pretending to be a county lieutenant that said if she didnt pay her fine by that day, a warrant would go out for her arrest. He claimed the fine was for contempt of court or something because she never showed, and this was her final warning. She (obviously, scam) had no clue what he was talking about, but the name he gave her was a real lieutenant in the county sheriffs office, and he even provided her a fake badge number.

The reason this is relevant, is because he said she had to pay the fine with cash (cant remember if he offered money order), and it had to be dropped in a one of a few specific postal drop boxes that were linked directly to the county. He did also clarify that she had her own mode of transportation.

My theory was that certain postal boxes were easier to break into, and once they knew exactly which one she dropped it in they would just break into it and grab her envelope. After reading this story, I also believe they might have been willing to provide transportation (like an Uber) to the particular drop off location. I want to emphasize that he was giving her locations of official USPS drop offs.

Maybe (its just a guess) its a similar scam and this old man didnt have transportation. But either way, knowledge is power and all, and maybe tell your older loved ones about these kind of scams.

My Mother thankfully called me freaking out because she couldnt afford it and was worried about going to jail. I told her to call the county and verify any of the information with them, which was when she found out this is a known scam to them. They opened up a case, she gave as many details as possible, but shes never heard back.