The Hamilton County Courts are warning residents about a jury duty scam that has bilked dozens of people out of thousands of dollars. Scammers are calling residents and telling them they missed jury duty and have to pay a fine.
Victims have reportedly lost upwards of two to three thousand dollars through gift cards and mobile payments like Zelle and Venmo.
“This scam has been around for a long time,” said Captain Scott Pass with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office. “Unfortunately, the scammers are getting more persistent and convincing, at times posing as sheriff’s deputies and dropping the real names of local judges to add legitimacy to the call. They have also figured out how to spoof their phone numbers to make it look as though the call is local – and in some cases coming from the sheriff’s office.”
When in doubt, Court Administrator Jill Acklin recommends residents hang up and call (317) 776-8589.
Acklin
“These scammers will try to keep you on the phone and threaten legal action if you hang up, but please know we would never do that,” Acklin. “Chances are if you haven’t received a summons or answered a jury questionnaire recently, you have not missed jury duty.”
Pass says the scammers seem to be targeting professionals like attorneys and doctors, who may fear having their licenses revoked if they’re found in contempt of court.
“Please know the Sheriff’s Office would never call you about jury duty and would certainly never ask for money over the phone.”
“Same with the courts,” Acklin added. “We collect all fines through the Clerk’s Office and would certainly never accept gift cards or payment through mobile apps like Zelle. Plus, if you miss jury duty chances are we’ll probably call and ask you to reschedule to another date.”