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National Phone Scam Investigation Ventura County
By Ventura County Sheriff Department — Tuesday, February 16th, 2016
 Ventura County Sheriff's Department In January of 2015, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office began investigating a series of phone scams targeting Ventura County Residents. In each of the cases, a caller would identify himself as a Captain with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and inform the resident he/she had failed to report for Jury Duty. The suspect would inform the resident there was a warrant issued for their arrest and demanded $5,000 to recall the warrant. Investigators were able to identify the suspect’s phone number and found he was calling hundreds of potential victims a day. Based on phone records, the targeted victims lived in various areas throughout the United States. The suspect showed a degree of sophistication in his attempted crimes by changing his phone number on almost a daily basis. Investigators found all of the phone calls originated from a cell phone located inside the Jimmy Autry Correctional Institute in Pelham, Georgia. Investigators learned the FBI was actively investigating charges of corruption in the institution. At the time of the investigation, there were no known completed transfers of money by Ventura County residents. The Sheriff’s Office deferred its investigation and provided the FBI with details of its case. The FBI recently announced its federal indictments as a result of their corruption investigation. To date, the suspect in the Ventura County phone scam attempts has not been identified. For more information on the FBI’s corruption investigation, please refer to the below link. http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga/pr/further-corruption-involving-georgia... Nature of Incident: National Phone Scam Investigation |
