Alpharetta Warns of 'Green Dot Verification' Scam

Staff Report

The Alpharetta Department of Public Safety is alerting the public to a scheme known as the Green Dot Verification scam that’s been reported in the area.

Victims of the scam receive a telephone call from someone claiming to be an employee of a local sheriff’s department or police agency. The caller tells the victim that they have missed jury duty service and are required to pay a fine or face jail time.

The fine, the victim is told, has to be paid by utilizing a Green Dot Money Pak card, which they must purchase and send the money to a specified banking account.

These cards are used to transfer cash onto prepaid debit cards or to directly pay the bills of certain participating companies.

Crooks, however, “love them because the money cannot be traced,” Alpharetta said.

As a result, there is an epidemic of phone scams that has mushroomed across the country in recent years, the agency added. 

Nationwide, roughly 257,000 people have complained to the Federal Trade Commission, with losses totaling $223 million through similar scams in the past two years.

No law enforcement agency or its employees will contact residents to ”advise them to quick wire monies to a bank account,” the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety said in a press release.

If someone has actually missed jury duty, a judge will issue what is known as a Show Cause Warrant. Once issued, the warrant would be served and the person advised of a court date on which to appear before a judge. If a fine is involved, it can only be ordered by a judge at the time of the assigned court appearance.

A simple telephone call to the law enforcement agency in question will verify whether the intended communication is authentic or if you’re the target of fraud, the agency added.

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