Court officials across the Atlanta area are sounding the alarm about a fresh twist on an old con. Scammers are calling and texting people who have just been jailed, claiming to be tied to the Fulton County court system and offering “pretrial supervision” for an admission fee that supposedly buys early release after booking. The targets are often the person in custody or their panicked relatives, and the crooks push for quick payment through QR codes, cash apps or other instant-pay methods. Court leaders say the county’s pretrial services program does not request or accept money in exchange for supervision decisions.
WSB‑TV first reported the warning from court officials on March 29. According to the station, scammers have pretended to be members of the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office while telling victims they qualify for pretrial supervision and must pay an “admission” fee to secure early release.
The Fulton County government followed up with a March 2 notice that included screenshots of bogus citation texts, complete with QR codes, fabricated case numbers and threats of driver’s license suspension. The county reminder was blunt: Georgia courts do not send surprise text messages demanding payment. Residents were urged not to click links, to capture screenshots of any suspicious message and to reach out to the relevant court using phone numbers listed on official government websites, not the numbers that appear in the scam notices, according to Fulton County Government.
The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office also runs a “Report a Scam” page that stresses the agency does not seek bond money or supervision fees over the phone or through cash apps, and it urges residents to use official reporting channels. The page links to an online reporting form and lists public contact options for anyone who believes they have been targeted, as outlined by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office.
How the scam works
This scheme mixes impersonation with high-pressure payment tactics. Scammers spoof caller IDs, invent booking or case numbers, and insist that targets pay using Venmo, Zelle, gift cards, cryptocurrency or QR-code payment pages that can harvest account details. These tricks are standard fare in government impersonation scams and have led to major losses nationwide, the FTC reports.
How to protect yourself and report it
Authorities say you should not click links, scan QR codes or send money in response to any unsolicited call or text about court cases, warrants or supervision. Instead, take a screenshot and independently verify the claim by contacting the court or sheriff’s office using phone numbers from official government websites, not ones given by a caller or in a text. Suspicious calls or messages can be reported to the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office and through federal portals such as the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3, which helps investigators track and disrupt these schemes. The sheriff’s office lays out reporting steps on its scam alert page.
If you have already sent money, officials advise contacting your bank or payment provider immediately to try to stop or reverse the transfer, filing a police report and submitting details to federal tracking systems. Consumer-protection agencies caution that paying a scammer rarely solves a legal problem, and that thorough documentation of the call, message and payment can be critical for investigators and financial institutions, according to guidance from the FTC.
Anyone who receives one of these calls or texts is urged to save screenshots, keep call logs and then contact the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office or the appropriate court directly. The county’s public A‑Z guide lists official contacts for the sheriff, including 404‑612‑5129 for warrant inquiries, along with other court numbers that can be used to verify any notice. Keeping records of every message and call can make reports more useful to investigators and may help banks or law enforcement trace payments, according to county guidance.
