MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WTVF) — Scammers recently used artificial intelligence mimicking Rutherford County Sheriff’s Captain Will Holton voice to convince a resident to hand over $7,500 in bitcoin to avoid a fake arrest.
Holton said the victim received a call from someone posing as him telling her she had a warrant for her arrest for missing jury duty. To avoid arrest, the caller convinced her to withdraw $7,500 from her bank. The caller gave her a QR code and directed her to place the money in a bitcoin account.
The woman followed the directions then came to the Sheriff’s Office Wednesday to speak to Holton, who was unaware his name and voice were used. The scammer used the Sheriff’s Office dispatch number in making the fake call.
Holton said Sheriff’s Office deputies never ask for money for missing jury duty or for an arrest.
“If we need you, we will come to your door in uniform,” Holton said. “Never ever share your information or pay someone over the phone by bitcoin or any other transaction.”
If you receive a call from a Sheriff’s Office number under similar circumstances, it is likely a scam.
For people of my generation, in our younger days we spent part of our weekends watching music shows like American Bandstand and Soul Train. That was before the age of music videos. Several years before Soul Train was syndicated out of Chicago, another syndicated R&B show was taped in Nashville at NewsChannel 5. Night Train aired in the 60s and included what may have been the first TV appearance for legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix. Forrest Sanders has another great look back at station history.
-Lelan Statom
