LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A Louisville woman believed she was paying a bond to secure her friend’s release from jail. Instead, scammers took $4,200 from her.
Looking back, “Jane” said she feels embarrassed.
WDRB Investigates spoke with the victim, who asked to remain anonymous. We’ll refer to her as “Jane.”
“They said they had received my phone number from a friend and that I was going to handle getting their son out of jail,” said the woman, who asked not to be identified. “I said that was correct and they told me what the fees would be. … I’m not old and it happened to me. And if it can happen to me, it can happen to anybody.”
Jane said she received a call in January from someone claiming to be a lieutenant with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Because it was a holiday weekend, she said the caller told her the courthouse was closed and she needed to send three payments totaling $4,200 to secure her friend’s release.
“One was for the traffic ticket and fines, and one was for the ankle monitor and for the bond,” Jane said.
Jane said the caller sounded convincing. She sent the payments through Venmo and PayPal.
“He used terminology that he knew what he was talking about,” she said. “He knew his name. He knew his charges. He knew his date of birth.”
Within two hours, Jane said she realized something was wrong.
“… I called down to the courthouse to say when was he going to get released, and then I realized the bond hadn’t been set,” she said.
Metro Government’s website states that people can pay bonds 24 hours a day, seven days a week at the Hall of Justice on West Jefferson Street.
Chief Deputy Steve Healey with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said scams like this happen frequently.
“Tragically, we hear about them at least weekly,” Healey said.
He explained that people pay bonds in person by passing sheriff’s deputies at the checkpoint and going to the glass windows inside the courthouse.
“That’s how you pay the bonds is in the courthouse,” Healey said. “We will never ask you for cash. We’ll never ask you for Venmo.”
Jane received the last four digits of a phone number to complete the Venmo payment and later traced a number that appeared linked to the account. A woman who answered that number said she had no idea how it was being used.
“I have no clue what you’re talking about and I don’t even live in Kentucky,” she said during a recent phone call. “I’m a single mom of three and have less than $200 in my account right now.”
She believes scammers attached her number to the Venmo account without her knowledge.
“Most likely, because it’s definitely not me,” she said.
Healey said scammers often rely on spoofed or “dummy” phone numbers.
“We may not be able to catch them but we want to know to be able to put that out that this is going on,” he said. “Do not fall for this.”
As scams increase, the sheriff’s office urges people to stay cautious. If you question a caller’s identity, hang up. If someone claims to represent law enforcement, contact the agency directly to confirm.
Jane said Venmo refunded her money, but she initially struggled to recover $1,200 from PayPal.
“My biggest issue (is) PayPal has put my account in the negative,” she said. “They have already turned it over to collections.”
She feared she might never get the money back.
“I don’t think it’ll get it back,” Jane said. “I’ll keep appealing it out of principal for now.”
After WDRB contacted PayPal, Jane said the company credited the $1,200 back to her account. The Louisville Metro Police Department said the investigation remains open, and detectives continue to follow leads.
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