Scam Alert: Houston Woman Conned Out Of $1,148

HOUSTON, TX — It happened again. Another scammer scores a hit on an unsuspecting victim, in this case telling the woman that she had two outstanding warrants and needed to pay immediately to prevent extradition to Texas and arrest. The victim, a Houstonian on vacation in Colorado, fell for it hook, line, and sinker.

The woman, whose identity was not disclosed by officials, became alarmed, even though she did not think she was liable for any unpaid tickets.

"He told me I would be tracked down in Colorado and it would take ten days to extradite me home," she told KTRK.

The woman followed the scammer's instructions to the tee, loading the funds onto a so-called green dot money card and calling him with the code to unlock the cash.

Then reality set in, and the victim phoned a friend who works in law enforcement, who confirmed that there were no outstanding warrants in her name. The officer then called the scammer and confronted him; the scammer hung up. That angered the victim, who called the man back.

"I told him off. Then he said, 'I'm having a good day so I'll send you half of your money back, if you text a nude picture. All your money back if it's a good one.' I hung up on him," she said.

Here's the lesson: Never pay fines or fees with money cards. Harris County and Houston officials said they never accept such forms of payment from the public. In addition, officials stressed that you should never divulge personal information such as your birthdate or Social Security numbers.

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