A Fort Bend County woman lost $50,000 after fraudsters posing as sheriff’s deputies convinced her she had missed federal jury duty and was facing arrest.
The school worker, who has not been named, received a call that appeared to come from the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office. The caller knew personal details including her address, date of birth and Social Security number, and warned that a warrant had been issued for her arrest.
She was told to find somewhere private and remain on the phone while the supposed investigation took place. The scammers then sent messages containing fake arrest warrants, legal references and a bogus gag order telling her not to speak to anyone about the matter.
“I was crying,” she said. “I didn’t understand what was happening … I was just trying to follow what I thought was correct and prove my innocence.”
Victim directed to Bitcoin machines
Fearing she would be jailed before she could collect her daughter from school, the woman followed the callers’ instructions. She withdrew cash from several bank branches while keeping her phone unmuted in her car, then travelled to cryptocurrency kiosks.
The callers told her the money would be returned once handwriting samples had proved that signatures on the alleged court documents were not hers.
“So I went to another branch and took out the rest of my money,” she said. “I put my earbuds in and walked me through all of the steps to deposit my money into the Bitcoin machine.”
The deception ended when she arrived at the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office to provide the handwriting samples. As she approached the building, the scammers ended the call.
Investigators said the fraudsters used voice-over-internet technology to make the sheriff’s office appear on the victim’s caller ID. Sgt William Dading said such systems can be programmed to display almost any number or name.
He said the callers’ priority was to isolate their targets and maintain pressure for as long as possible.
“If you hang up the phone, then you’re immediately going to jail,” Dading said the scammers would claim, warning that some conversations could last for hours.
Once money has been transferred into cryptocurrency, recovering it can be extremely difficult. Dading said funds could be combined in a digital wallet, making it hard to identify and retrieve money belonging to an individual victim.
Fort Bend County issues jury duty scam warning
The sheriff’s office has warned residents that genuine law enforcement officers do not demand payment over the telephone to settle an arrest warrant or a missed jury summons.
In an August 2025 warning, the office said several residents had reported calls demanding immediate payment to avoid arrest. The alleged payments were requested through methods including PayPal, cryptocurrency and other transactions that could not be reversed.
Fort Bend County officials have also warned that callers may impersonate staff from both the sheriff’s office and the District Clerk’s Office while seeking Social Security numbers, driving licence details or other sensitive information.
The District Clerk’s Office says its staff will never telephone residents to request Social Security numbers, credit card details or other confidential information. Jury service information should be checked through official county channels rather than through a number supplied by an unsolicited caller.
The sheriff’s office has used public education sessions, including its “Scam Sunday” campaign, to highlight the tactics used in the fraud. Residents are advised to end suspicious calls immediately and contact the agency through its official non-emergency number.
For the victim, who is now relying on help from friends and family, speaking publicly is intended to stop others being caught in the same trap.
“Nobody from any law enforcement agency will call you to have a conversation about something,” she said. “If they say it has to be done right now, hang up.”
