LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — What started as a phone call about missed jury duty turned into what one Las Vegas woman describes as “five hours of hell.”
Stefanie Clary says she lost $12,500 after scammers, posing as law enforcement officers, convinced her there was a warrant out for her arrest and that the only way to avoid jail was to follow their instructions.
“They kept harassing me and calling me back,” Clary said. “I went into survival mode.”
WATCH | Las Vegas woman says fake jury duty scam cost her $12,500 through Bitcoin ATM
Clary says it started just after noon on May 12, when she received a phone call from someone claiming to be a lieutenant. The caller told her she had missed federal jury duty and failed to appear in court.
At first, she says she didn’t believe it.
But things escalated quickly.
“And then he called me back and he said if you hang up again we’re going to send the police over to your home to arrest you,” Clary said.
According to Clary, the callers appeared to know personal information about her, including her address, and repeatedly threatened arrest if she did not cooperate. She says the scammers used legal language, claimed she was under a “gag order,” and warned her not to speak to anyone, including her husband.
“They said you can’t tell anybody about this because it’s a court case that’s really, really hush-hush,” she said.
Clary says the scammers kept her on the phone for more than five hours. At one point, she says they even spoofed a real Clark County constable’s office phone number to make the calls appear legitimate.
“They just had all these different things proving that it was real,” she said.
The scammers eventually convinced Clary she needed to pay fines before she could “clear things up.” She says they directed her to an Athena Bitcoin ATM in downtown Las Vegas, where she deposited $5,000 in cash.
Then came more pressure and demands for even more money.
By the end of the ordeal, Clary says she had deposited a total of $12,500.
The callers then directed her to a government building downtown, where she believed she would meet with officials and prove her innocence. But when she got there, nobody was there.
“My heart sank,” Clary said.
Clary reported the incident to Metro police, the FBI, and the Federal Trade Commission.
While researching Clary’s story, KTNV found the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada recently added a public warning about jury duty scams to the front page of its website.
In a statement to KTNV, the court said it has seen an increase in scams involving people impersonating law enforcement officers or court officials claiming someone missed federal jury duty.
“Individuals who believe that they may have been targeted by one of these scams are encouraged to contact their local FBI office as well as their local Federal Trade Commission,” the court said.
KTNV also found a lawsuit filed by the District of Columbia Attorney General against Bitcoin ATM operator Athena Bitcoin. The lawsuit alleges scammers frequently direct victims to cryptocurrency ATMs during fraud schemes involving threats and impersonation. It also alleges that during one five-month period, 93% of deposits at Athena machines in Washington, D.C., were tied to fraud. Athena has denied wrongdoing in the case.
For Clary, the hardest part now is replaying everything in her head.
“I blamed myself so many times. I was so mad at myself,” she said.
Now, she hopes sharing her story will prevent someone else from falling into the same trap.
“Don’t trust these phone calls at all,” Clary said.
The FBI and FTC warn that law enforcement agencies and courts will never demand payment through Bitcoin ATMs, gift cards or cryptocurrency.
KTNV also reached out to Athena Bitcoin to ask whether the company could help refund Clary’s money, but has not yet received a response.
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