LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A Louisville woman thought she was paying a bond to get her friend out of jail. Instead, she was scammed out of $4,200.
Looking back, "Jane" said she feels embarrassed.
WDRB Investigates interviewed the victim, who asked not to be identified. We'll call her "Jane."
"They said they had received my phone number from a friend and that I was going to handle getting their son out of jail," said the woman, who asked not to be identified. " I said that was correct and they told me what the fees would be. ... I'm not old and it happened to me. And if it can happen to me, it can happen to anybody."
In January, Jane said she received a call from someone claiming to be a lieutenant with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. It was a holiday weekend, and she said she was told the courthouse was closed and she needed to make three payments totaling $4,200 to get her friend released.
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"One was for the traffic ticket and fines, and one was for the ankle monitor and for the bond," Jane said.
When she spoke with the caller, Jane said he sounded legitimate. She sent payments through Venmo and PayPal.
"He used terminology that he knew what he was talking about," she said. "He knew his name. He knew his charges. He knew his date of birth."
Jane said she quickly realized something was wrong within two hours.
"... I called down to the courthouse to say when was he going to get released, and then I realized the bond hadn't been set," she said.
Metro Government's website says bonds can be paid 24 hours a day, seven days a week at the Hall of Justice on West Jefferson Street.
Chief Deputy Steve Healey with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said scams like this are common.
"Tragically, we hear about them at least weekly," Healey said.
To pay a bond, he said, you just pass the sheriff's deputies at the checkpoint and go to the glass windows
"That's how you pay the bonds is in the courthouse," Healey said. "We will never ask you for cash. We'll never ask you for Venmo."
Jane was given the last four digits of a phone number to complete the Venmo payment and tracked down a number that appeared to be connected to the account. A woman who answered the phone at that number was unaware of its use.
"I have no clue what you're talking about and I don't even live in Kentucky," she said in a recent phone call. "I'm a single mom of three and have less than $200 in my account right now."
She believes her number being attached to the Venmo account is also part of a scam.
"Most likely, because it's definitely not me," she said.
Healey said scammers often use spoofed or "dummy" numbers.
"We may not be able to catch them but we want to know to be able to put that out that this is going on," he said. "Do not fall for this."
With scams on the rise, the sheriff's office urges people to protect themselves. If you question who is calling, hang up. If someone claims to be with law enforcement, call the agency directly to verify.
Jane said Venmo refunded her money, but she initially struggled to get $1,200 back from PayPal.
"My biggest issue (is) PayPal has put my account in the negative," she said. "They have already turned it over to collections."
She worried she might never recover the money.
"I don't think it'll get it back," Jane said. "I'll keep appealing it out of principal for now."
After WDRB contacted PayPal, Jane said the $1,200 was credited back to her account. The Louisville Metro Police Department said the case remains open and detectives are following up on leads.
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