Potential fraud victim warns about ‘jury duty scam’ that almost stole her money: ‘So convincing’

Victims of these court clerk-impersonating con artists are pleading for justice.

People have been receiving calls from scammers saying that they’ve missed jury duty and there’s a warrant out for their arrest.

“The victim will get called by the scammer saying that they missed jury duty, and they’re demanding money through either wire transfer or gift cards or something like that,” Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Neil Johnston said in a statement.

“That should be the first red flag right there. Never give anybody money that you don’t know exactly who they are or your personal information.”

Johnston noted that these scams tend to target people of more vulnerable ages.

One fifth-grade teacher on TikTok shared a video PSA about the scam after she was “almost victim to” it.

Mrs. Tait received a call with no caller ID — which she said was her first red flag — and the person “kept calling and calling and calling.”

She finally answered the phone, and the person on the other end claimed to be with the local sheriff’s office. They had her name and address and claimed that she failed to appear in front of a jury.

The caller claimed she received a summons through certified mail that someone signed for, and she had citations for failure to appear in court.

According to the Prison Policy Initiative, citations for failure to appear in court are usually given to people who don’t show up for a court date in which they are the defendant.

Missing jury duty is now a criminal offense and wouldn’t lead to a failure to appear citation. Besides, the teacher didn’t have any pending charges that would require her to be in court.

When she told the caller she didn’t trust him, he told her that he wasn’t trying to do “any harm” and that it was his “job” to provide the information.

“He was so convincing. It was absolutely terrifying,” she said,

Tait said she hung up and called the local non-emergency line, and they reaffirmed her suspicions that it was a scam.

“If you fail to appear [for jury duty], it will always come in the mail,” she explained. “Sometimes deputies will call you for witness stuff, and they will do the no caller ID just to protect their safety. But they were like, ‘That’s an absolute scam.’”

They told her to always report calls of that nature so they have it on record.

Officials said no law enforcement will demand immediate payments over the phone.