CALHOUN COUNTY, Ga. (WALB) – Victims of a scam conducted by Calhoun State Prison inmates said the fear was “immediate” and “overwhelming,” in interviews with WALB on Wednesday, Jan. 14. Victims recalled the moment they saw their local police department’s number on their caller ID, followed by an “officer’s” voice threatening arrest for missing jury duty. Joey Amour Jackson and Lance Riddle, both inmates at Calhoun State Prison, were convicted on Jan. 9 for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering after a five-day trial. But for the victims, the conviction marks the end of a nightmare that felt disturbingly real. The scheme was alarmingly convincing, victims said. Using contraband cellular phones and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) technology, Jackson and Riddle spoofed the phone numbers of local police departments nationwide. When victims answered, they heard what sounded like legitimate a law enforcement official demanding immediate payment of bonds to avoid arrest. “I panicked,” one victim said. “They had my information. They knew details about me. I genuinely thought I was going to jail if I didn’t pay.” The callers instructed victims to purc
