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Scammer steals hundreds of dollars from young teachers, police say

By Mike Petchenik, WSB-TV
By Mike Petchenik, WSB-TV

NORTH FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Police say someone has been targeting area elementary school teachers to scam them out of hundreds of dollars.
 
Alpharetta investigators say one teacher at Barnwell Elementary School lost $300 after a man called the school to say she missed a court date and had a warrant out for her arrest.
 
"That individual identifies themselves as being a collector, a deputy for the municipality that she missed court at," said department spokesman, Jason Muenzer.
 
Police said the scammer used software to "spoof" the phone number of a man running for DeKalb County's tax commissioner to make it appear legitimate.
 
"If someone calls you and asks for money, automatically know that's a scam," Muenzer said.

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Muenzer told Channel 2's Mike Petchenik the victim was frantic about the alleged warrant, went to a pharmacy and purchased Green Dot scratchoff cards, and then gave the caller the card information and her driver's license number from the parking lot of Alpharetta police headquarters.

“She realized something was wrong, walked the ten feet into the police headquarters, where she was then advised this was a scam,” he said.

Muenzer said a second teacher from another North Fulton-area school lost $800 in similar fashion.

“It seems like they’re focusing on the younger teachers who aren’t experienced to what’s going on,” he said. “We never ask for any dollar amount. No court system is ever going to ask for a dollar amount through the phone and we certainly will never, ever ask for a green dot card.”

Barnwell neighbor Dede Adams told Petchenik she’s incensed someone would target young teachers.

“I think it’s outrageous. Young teachers will fall for anything,” she said. “They don’t have the experience to know what’s a scam.”

Cox Media Group

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