A couple sent $6,500 through Zelle after scammers claimed their son was in jail — now a Georgia woman has been arrested

Johnay Monique Barnett from Roswell, Georgia, was booked into the Monroe County jail and charged with grand theft on Oct. 13, according to CBS News.

The scam escalated before investigators identified a suspect

The incident dates back nearly a year to December 2025, when a scammer claiming to work for the Seminole County Jail made initial contact with the Florida Keys couple, according to WPLG Local 10 News.

The caller allegedly told the couple their son had been arrested and needed an electronic ankle monitor as a condition of his release. They asked the parents to pay $6,500 to cover the cost of the device and the couple sent the money through Zelle, a money transfer service. The scammer then asked for an additional $9,000 in a follow-up call, but the couple refused and reported the incident to authorities.

Investigators worked with law enforcement agencies in Georgia and several financial institutions to identify the suspect. Authorities reviewed bank records and security camera footage from banks, as well as body camera footage from earlier investigations of similar scams. The evidence ultimately helped investigators identify Barnett as a suspect and obtain an arrest warrant.

Authorities have not yet established that Barnett was the one who made the calls to the Florida couple, and the sheriff’s office has not said whether other suspects are being sought, or if any of the $6,500 was recovered.

Impersonation scams are costing Americans billions

The Florida couple’s $6,500 loss is part of a much larger problem, as Americans reported a whopping $3.5 billion in losses to impersonation scams in 2025, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Scams involving people pretending to be government officials, specifically, accounted for roughly $920 million in losses.