The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office has released a recording of a “jury duty” scam in progress. In the scam, suspects call and identify themselves as police officers or deputies and claim to the victim that jury duty was missed resulting in an arrest warrant.
According to the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, over the last several days, area law enforcement agencies have received reports from victims of the jury scam. The Sheriff’s Office notes that victims have fallen for the scam and in “one case, a victim lost over $3000 after he supplied pre-paid credit card numbers to the scammer to pay a ‘fine’ on the warrant.”
The recording is edited for time and to protect the victim’s identity. “If you listen to the recording, note how the suspect tries to convince the victim warrants have been issued and avoids allowing the victim to call back and verify the phone number,” the Sheriff’s Office advises. “The suspect merely suggests the victim ‘Google’ the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office to verify the number. Towards the end of the call, the suspect puts his ‘supervisor’ on the line which will eventually lead to a demand to pay fines in the amount of $3000, usually with pre-paid gift cards. The attached recording cuts off as the victim senses this was a scam call. Note the attempt by suspects to use ‘professional phrases and demeanor’ to intimidate the victim into believing the warrant is legitimate.”