The Monroe County Sheriff's Office is warning of a telephone scam in which someone claiming to be a law enforcement officer calls victims and instructs them to purchase gift cards to avoid arrest.
A Sugarloaf Key resident was recently targeted by scammers who falsely told him that he missed federal jury duty.
The scammer identified himself as Officer Bobby Burkett and told the caller that if he paid a fake bond, he wouldn't be arrested, police said.
The victim believed the caller because theculprit knew about a previous citation the victim had received. Authorities said there is an Officer Bobby Burkett employed by the MCSO, but the real Burkett has never had any interaction with the victim.
MCSO officials said the victim purchased $9,900 in Amazon, Google Play and Visa gift cards to pay off the fake debt.
The victim said he became suspicious when the caller asked for another $10,000. By the time the victim realized he had been scammed, it was too late to cancel the cards or his bank account, authorities said
Authorities said several similar incidents have recently been reported in the Florida Keys and thieves have posed as another law enforcement official, Sgt. David Smith.
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office warns the public never to pay for anything over the phone using prepaid gift cards.
"If you receive such a call: hang up," officials with the Monroe County Sheriffs Office said. "Contact the organization the caller claims to be representing and report the incident to local law enforcement."