HOUSTON – When you think of a phone scam victim, Keith Woods is not who you have in mind.
"The person on the other end will sound very official, he will play to your insecurities. He played into mine," Woords said.
Woods, a local trial attorney, recently fell victim to someone who called pretending to be a police officer.
The caller said Woods had warrants for missing jury duty, and that he would be arrested when he showed up to court.
The scammers used names of real officers in Harris County, and even referenced addresses and mailbox numbers.
They had Harris County citation numbers. It's a trick so sophisticated, even an attorney fell for it.
They asked for payment over the phone, and Woods gave it to them. A thousand dollars, gone.
"They're acting like, 'Hey, I'm going to do you a favor, just mail this in and we're going to take care of this easily,' as opposed as you having to go down and go through the process. If a warrant's issued for you, then go through the process. Don't take the easy way out," Woods said.