Jacksonville physician Dr. Kendra Gillespie considers herself a savvy and shrewd consumer. That’s why she is still surprised about how close she came to losing almost $10,000 to phone scammers last month.
“I’m not usually gullible, but they get you to a point where you’re just frozen in fear,” Gillespie said. “They play sophisticated psychological games to earn your trust, and to make you very afraid.”
Gillespie is among a growing number of Jacksonville-area residents targeted in an ongoing jury duty phone scam that victims and officials say could fool almost anyone.
Investigators say scammers are becoming more convincing by spoofing real phone numbers and using the names of law enforcement and court personnel. One of the officials sounding the alarm is Federal Judge Marcia Howard, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
“We’re increasingly hearing about these jury duty scams in our area,” Howard said. “Recent stories show a level of sophistication in scam tactics that almost anyone could fall victim to.”
As scammers increasingly impersonate federal judges, court officials and law enforcement officers, federal officials in Northeast Florida are warning residents about the scam that pressures victims into sending money under the threat of arrest. The callers often demand payment through cryptocurrency, gift cards or digital payment apps and pressure victims to act immediately.
Gillespie said the calls she received appeared to come from JSO phone numbers. The only reason she avoided losing money was she consulted a friend who is an attorney.
“Anyone can fall for these,” she said.
