06/26/2026
SCAM WARNING — especially for people in DeKalb County, GA. For your safety, PLEASE read this entire post. They had my phone number and address.
I want to share a detailed account of a scam attempt I experienced today because it was unusually sophisticated, and I can easily see how someone could be frightened into complying.
I received a call from an unknown number claiming to be connected with the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office. The message said they were trying to make contact with me and provided a callback number: (404) 371-2570. The call was supposedly associated with a “Sergeant Kent.”
I am currently involved in a matter with the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office as a potential witness, so I initially thought the call might be legitimate and related to scheduling a witness interview. That is the only reason I returned the call directly.
When I called back, the person identifying himself as Sergeant Kent told me I had been summoned to appear as an expert witness in federal court on June 22 and had failed to appear. He claimed notice had been sent to me by certified mail, that it had been signed for, and that the signed receipt had been returned.
I told him I had received no such notice and had not signed for anything.
He then said that a federal judge, whom he identified as Judge Victoria Calvert, had issued two citations against me: one for failure to appear and one for contempt of court. He gave me official-sounding citation numbers and a badge number. The details were clearly designed to sound legitimate.
The caller then said I needed to come to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office for handwriting analysis to determine whether I had signed for the certified mail or whether the signature had been forged.
That was strange enough, but it got much worse.
He transferred me to another supposed officer who said I had two ways of handling the matter: a “civil” way or a “criminal” way. According to him, the “civil” way was for me to drive immediately to the Sheriff’s Office on Memorial Drive. The “criminal” way would be triggered if I contacted an attorney or told anyone else what was happening.
He then claimed that the judge had issued a gag order preventing me from discussing the matter with my spouse, family, friends, or anyone else. When I said I had a right to speak with an attorney, he said I did have that right, but doing so would supposedly make it a criminal matter.
That is when it became very clear that this was not legitimate.
Then came the money demand.
He said I needed to post bond for the two alleged citations. The amount was $20,000 cash. Not a check. Not a certified check. Not a legitimate court payment method. Actual currency.
He claimed that once I completed the handwriting analysis and it showed I had not signed for the certified mail, the money would be returned. If the matter was not resolved immediately, he said the money would be held until a later court appearance.
He also told me I had to stay on the phone with him the entire time while I drove. When I said I needed someone to watch my children before I could leave, he told me I could not call anyone. He eventually said I could text someone, but only if I read the text to him first because the line was supposedly recorded.
He then told me I would need to go to a bail bond location first with the $20,000 cash. He said if I simply walked into the Sheriff’s Office by myself, it would become a criminal matter instead of a civil one.
At that point, I told him I was ending the call and would call the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office directly to confirm everything. He said I was being “noncompliant” with the gag order by contacting a third party. I told him that if he was actually with the Sheriff’s Office, then calling the Sheriff’s Office directly was not contacting a third party — it was verifying with the agency he claimed to represent.
He then said they would send police. I told him that was unnecessary because if the matter was legitimate, I would go directly there after confirming it. He said, “See you soon then,” and hung up.
I then contacted the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office directly. As expected, this was a scam. I also contacted the office of Judge Victoria Calvert because the scammers were using her name. They indicated that they would likely want the details. I then texted back to the original number I called informing them that I had contacted the police and the judge. I also suggested they lose my address because showing up unannounced would not be a healthy decision and could result in a significantly shortened life span.
The reason I am sharing this is because this scam used several tactics that could make someone panic:
* They claimed to be from the Sheriff’s Office.
* They used a local-looking phone number.
* They gave a fake officer name and badge number.
* They used the name of an actual federal judge.
* They gave official-sounding citation numbers.
* They claimed certified mail had been signed for.
* They threatened arrest.
* They claimed there was a gag order.
* They said I could not tell my spouse, family, friends, or attorney without making it worse.
* They tried to keep me on the phone continuously.
* They demanded $20,000 in cash.
* They tried to stop me from independently verifying the story.
Please be careful.
If you ever receive a call saying you missed court, ignored a subpoena, failed to appear, missed jury duty, have a warrant, owe bond money, or must report immediately to avoid arrest:
Hang up and call the agency directly using the official main number you look up yourself.
Do not call only the number the caller gives you.
Do not stay on the phone while driving somewhere.
Do not withdraw cash.
Do not let anyone tell you that you cannot speak with your spouse, family, attorney, or law enforcement.
Do not let urgency override verification.
A legitimate law enforcement agency or court will not demand that you secretly obtain a large amount of cash while remaining on the phone with them.
If the caller objects to you independently verifying the information, that is almost certainly confirmation that it is a scam.
Please share this, especially with older relatives, professionals who may be called as witnesses, and anyone who might be intimidated by a caller claiming to be law enforcement.
