Woman scammed out of $2K at ATM inside Allegheny County Courthouse

PITTSBURGH — A victim was scammed out of $2,000 on Tuesday at an ATM inside the Allegheny County Courthouse, after a caller posing as an Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office deputy falsely claimed she missed jury duty and faced misdemeanor charges.

The caller informed the victim that she had signed paperwork in May confirming a jury duty appearance, but then claimed she had missed her jury duty date on Monday of this week. To clear the supposed active misdemeanor charges for failing to appear, the caller demanded $2,000.

The scammer instructed the victim to remain on the phone and go to the PNC Bank ATM located within the Treasurer’s Office at the Allegheny County Courthouse. At the ATM, the victim received an eight-digit code for cardless access, which the caller falsely stated was for paying fines. She was then given a four-digit code that the caller falsely said identified her case. After entering these codes, the victim inserted $2,000 into the ATM and selected ‘deposit.’

The victim later came into the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, telling them she had been scammed.

The Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office has emphasized that its deputies will never contact individuals by phone to discuss missing a date for jury duty. The office also will never request any type of payment over the phone or instruct people to use any type of kiosk, such as a cryptocurrency kiosk or an ATM, to pay a fine or clear a charge or warrant. Furthermore, the office does not request payment using gift cards or payment apps like Venmo, Zelle or Cash App.

The investigation is ongoing.

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