Across the United States, individuals are falling victim to increasingly sophisticated jury duty scams. Scammers often pose as police officers or court officials, contacting victims by phone and claiming they have missed jury duty and now face arrest warrants. They leverage personal information about the victims, including full names, maiden names, Social Security numbers, and even past and current addresses, to make the calls appear legitimate and instill fear.
The scammers maintain victims on the phone for extended periods, sometimes hours, directing their every move. They create a false sense of urgency, warning victims that they cannot hang up until a solution is found. This often involves instructing victims to withdraw large sums of money, ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars, and then deposit it into cryptocurrency ATMs or purchase gift cards. For example, a San Antonio woman lost $2,000 to such a scam, a Cary woman lost thousands after being told to pay both "state" and "federal" portions, and a Fayette County couple was nearly scammed out of $12,000 via a Bitcoin machine.
Authorities, including the San Antonio Police Department, Allegheny County Sheriff's Office, and various Attorneys General, are issuing warnings to the public. They emphasize that law enforcement agencies will never demand money over the phone, ask for payments via cryptocurrency, gift cards, or payment apps like Venmo or Zelle, or threaten immediate arrest for missed jury duty. Officials advise anyone receiving such a call to hang up immediately and verify the information with a trusted source.
