Scammer targets Ga. 400 drivers

ROSWELL, Ga. — Roswell police are warning people to beware of a caller posing as a Fulton County sheriff's deputy in an effort to scam money out of them.

Bill Cooper told Channel 2's Mike Petchenik he received two separate calls from someone claiming both he and his wife had unpaid speeding tickets and had to pay a fine or face jail time.

"He used all the right buzzwords," said Cooper.  "There's always that 2 percent in the back of your mind, thinking, 'Well, maybe this guy's legit.'"

Cooper said the man told him he could pay by credit card or load money onto a Green Dot prepaid card, but he became suspicious when he realized he was not driving on Ga. 400 on the date of the alleged infraction.

"If they'd put as much initiative into honest pursuits as they do criminal pursuits, we'd all be better off," he said.

Another woman, who asked not to be identified, told Petchenik a man claiming to be "Lt. Baxley" from the Sheriff's Department called her Friday afternoon with a similar threat.

"He sounded like he had authority and didn't change his story," she said.  "It's disgusting.  It's totally disgusting."

While those two victims didn't pay the caller, Roswell Police Officer Lisa Holland told Petchenik several other people fell for it.

"I think a lot of people have been paying him and these crimes have gone unreported," said Holland.

Johns Creek police reported a similar scam last month involving someone claiming to be a Fulton County police officer with a warrant.  Police said it's unclear if the cases are related.

WSBTV