What looked like a routine jury duty reminder turned into a full-blown criminal investigation after Rowan County deputies say they traced a phone scam targeting locals all the way to a Georgia prison and a 20-year-old woman they now have in custody.
According to investigators, callers pretended to be law enforcement officers and told residents they had skipped court or jury duty and now owed a civil fee to avoid getting hauled off in handcuffs. Deputies say victims were pushed to pay up fast through digital payment apps, and that the investigation is still very much active.
According to WCCB Charlotte, the calls were traced to a correctional facility in Georgia, where inmates were allegedly using contraband cell phones to run the operation. Working with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, authorities arrested 20-year-old Samya Kelly of Georgia. She is charged with obtaining property by false pretenses and two counts of money laundering. Investigators told WCCB they believe Kelly is part of a larger network and that the scheme has been running since early last year.
How this case fits a national pattern
The Rowan County investigation lines up with a broader wave of inmate-run jury duty scams that federal prosecutors have been trying to shut down. In January, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that two Georgia inmates were convicted in a nationwide scheme that used contraband phones and VOIP technology to pose as police and squeeze money from victims around the country. Prosecutors said that operation led to nearly $465,000 in documented losses.
Scam mechanics in Rowan County
Deputies told WCCB Charlotte that the local scam followed a familiar script. Callers told residents they had missed a scheduled court appearance and faced arrest unless they paid a civil fee. Payments were then routed through PayPal and Apple Pay, with some reported fees hitting as high as $750. The Rowan County Sheriff's Office is urging anyone who receives a call like this to hang up and report it rather than engage.
What to do if you’re contacted
Rowan County officials are stressing one simple rule: real law enforcement will not call you out of the blue and demand money to clear a warrant or avoid arrest. If someone claims they are with the sheriff's office or the courts and starts talking about instant payments, hang up and verify directly with your local sheriff's office or courthouse.
For contact information and department resources, Rowan County lists sheriff's office details online, including the main number at (704) 216-8700.
Authorities say the investigation is ongoing and are asking anyone who believes they were targeted to save transaction receipts, payment confirmations and any call or message logs that might help deputies track the operation. With recent federal prosecutions highlighting just how lucrative these scams can be, local, state and federal partners are working together to identify more suspects and stop additional victims from losing money.
