RUTHERFORD COUNTY, TN — A frightening scam nearly cost a Rutherford County man $13,000, after two criminals posing as sheriff’s supervisors convinced him he was about to be arrested for allegedly missing federal jury duty. The Rutherford County Sheriff's Office reported the man told them, “I was terrified.” The victim also said, “They were very, very convincing.” According to the sheriff’s office, the scammers told the man he had been charged with failure to appear and contempt of court, claiming a warrant was already issued for his arrest. To heighten the pressure, they told him he was under a gag order and was not allowed to contact anyone.

The scammers then ordered the man to withdraw $13,000 in cash from his bank and deposit the money into a kiosk as bail to prevent immediate arrest. They falsely promised the money would be returned within 30 to 90 days. Throughout the call, the man was ordered to stay on the phone so he could not seek help. Too frightened to hang up, the man quietly texted his wife. She immediately told him it sounded like a scam. He then hung up the phone and contacted the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, preventing the loss of any money.

The Sheriff’s Office quickly issued a warning to the public, reminding residents that deputies DO NOT call citizens about missed jury duty and do not demand money over the phone. If someone is truly wanted for a crime, deputies will arrest them in person, not by phone.

In a public statement, the agency said, “Please do not fall for these scams where people try to trick you into handing over your hard-earned money. Just hang up.”

FBI DATA SHOWS TENNESSEE SCAMS ARE A GROWING PROBLEM: While this case unfolded locally, scam activity remains a major issue throughout Tennessee. According to the FBI, residents in West, Middle, and East Tennessee rank 31st out of 50 states on the national vulnerability scale for fraud victimization.

In 2023 alone, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) investigated 8,484 scam-related complaints in Tennessee. Those cases resulted in losses totaling more than $161 million, according to figures released in the FBI’s 2024 report.

Federal investigators say the three most common scam categories impacting Tennesseans include:

• Tech Support Scams – where criminals impersonate legitimate tech companies to steal money or data
• Investment Fraud – where scammers promise unrealistic financial returns
• Business Email Compromise (BEC) – one of the most sophisticated and costly schemes involving hacked or spoofed business email accounts used to trick victims into transferring funds

On the national scale, the FBI recorded a staggering 880,418 complaints to IC3 in 2023, with total losses exceeding $12.5 billion, highlighting the rapidly growing cybercrime threat facing communities nationwide.

Law enforcement is urging residents to stay alert, verify all unexpected law-enforcement claims, and always hang up and call a known, official number before sending money.

• Read about more scams and schemes reported in Rutherford County and beyond HERE.