Samya Kelly
A Georgia woman is facing charges in connection to a jury duty scam in Rowan County, according to the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office said residents were receiving calls from people impersonating law enforcement that they missed a scheduled court appearance and faced arrest unless they paid a civil fee. The fee went as high as $750 and residents were told to pay it via PayPal or Apple Pay.
The scam had been going on since the beginning of last year.
Deputies launched an investigation and tracked the activity down to a correctional facility in Georgia where inmates would use contraband cell phones for the scam.
After working with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, 20-year-old Samya Kelly, of Georgia, was charged with obtaining property by false pretenses and two counts of money laundering.
Investigators believe Kelly is part of a larger operation, and the investigation remains ongoing.
The sheriff’s office also reminds citizens that they will not contact them by phone demanding money to avoid arrest, and encourages them to hang up and report the incident immediately.
