LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — It all started Friday morning when Ms. Anderson took a break at her job and found this disturbing message on her phone.
"Yes, this is Christian Marcel, county sheriff's department," said the voicemail, asking her to call back concerning 'confidential' matters.
"They called from that number, and I googled it, and it said the Fayette County Sheriff's Department," said Anderson.
"They started talking about I had a warrant out for my arrest, and they went into this elaborate scheme."
Anderson said the man provided her with two case numbers claiming she was facing separate charges for failing to attend jury duty for a federal case and contempt of court.
The caller also claimed she currently had two separate bails, one for $2,900 and $5,800, totaling $8,700.
"They said there was a gag order on the case, and I wasn't allowed to talk to anyone else about it or they would arrest me," she said.
"I never got a jury duty summons. They said 'You did, and you missed it. But the judge says you are a law-abiding citizen, and they are going to give you a chance to handle this as a civil case.' They said that if you don't do this, it's a Friday so the sheriff's department will just come pick you up."
Anderson said she proceeded to go on an hours-long goose chase to clear everything up, gathering $8,700 in cash as the caller requested.
But their next request made her pause. Instead of asking her to drop it off at a county building, they told her to stop at her local Kroger.
"He said, 'Now you're going to buy Bitcoin'. He said that is how the federal treasury gets their reimbursement," she explained.
Anderson wearily withdrew $2,900 in Bitcoin from a CoinStar machine, the max amount for one transaction.
But she was still uneasy and refused to hand over the redemption code.
Instead, she hung up to call the Fayette County Sheriff's Department herself.
"She assured me that it was a scam," she said.
That number she initially googled turned out to be spoofed and a part of an elaborate hoax that's been going around the state of Kentucky.
Now she wants to warn others.
"It was the worst experience of my life. I just want everyone to know about this scam."
Forever grateful, her worst experience turned out to be a close call.
Anderson is currently working with CoinStar to get her money back.
