Caller impersonated a public defender
A caller purported to be a public defender, but an alert grandfather determined it was an attempt to scam. According to Oconee Sheriff’s Office, what happened was an attempt to scam a grandparent out of $15 thousand dollars by a scammer who falsely claimed he was a public defender and the man’s granddaughter had been jailed and needed $15 thousand for a bond. But, the scammer couldn’t provide the granddaughter’s name. Master Deputy Jimmy Watt, PIO for the sheriff’s office, says, “Scammers like to create a sense of urgency to get a victim to act without clear thought, but scammers will also play upon the emotions of a victim to manipulate them as well.” If you get as call such as this, hang up and contact another family member to check what, if anything, happened.