YCSO warns community of a jury duty scam alert
YUMA COUNTY, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - The Yuma County Sheriff's Office (YCSO) and the Yuma County Superior Court is warning the community of "ongoing government imposters and fraudulent schemes involving missed Jury Duty," according to a press release.
YCSO says, "Scammers are impersonating court officials and law enforcement personnel through phone calls, emails and text messages" to claim a warrant has been issued for their arrest "for failure to report for jury duty."
YCSO then says the scammer are using the "spoofing" technique to make the calls appear to come from them and "will use employee names to impersonate law enforcement officers."
In addition, YCSO says the victims are offered a "choice to either pay the warrant" or have an officer be sent over to them, with the scammer demanding that the "fine be paid by money transfer, gift card or bitcoin."
"Neither the court nor the Sheriff's Office will EVER call you to demand payment or sensitive information over the phone for missed jury duty," YCSO says while offering some tips on what to do if you're contacted:
- Stay Calm: Don't let threats scare you into acting quickly.
- Verify the Claim: Contact your local court or law enforcement agency directly using official phone numbers, not the ones provided by the caller or message.
- Hang Up: If the caller pressures you for payment or personal information, end the conversation immediately.
- Report the Scam: Contact YCSO at 928-783-4427 or file a report with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at www.ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
"Please advise family members that if they are contacted for a threat of arrest for failure to pay, to hang up and contact law enforcement," YCSO says.
If anyone needs to verify their jury service status, call the Jury Office at (928) 817-4210 or email the Superior Court Clerk's Office at yumaclerkinfo@courts.az.gov or Ifazz@courts.az.gov.