Once again, a scam involving the threat of arrest for missing jury duty or a court date is hitting central Indiana, including Hamilton County.
In an even more interesting twist, the caller may be using names of Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office deputies or court employees to lend credence to the calls. The phone numbers are being spoofed to show that the call is from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, when in reality the call is coming from another location. These tactics add another layer of false validity to the call for the victim.
The scam works like this:
A victim answers the telephone, and the caller says a warrant is being issued for not appearing for jury duty (or paying taxes or another offense). The caller may give the name of a courthouse employee, a deputy, or a name similar to an employee. Caller ID may even show the call originating from a local number, as these IDs are easy to fake with current technology.
The caller then states the victim can avoid the arrest by paying a fine submitted by wire transfer or pre-paid gift credit card. Pressure is put on the victim to make a payment quickly to avoid jail time since once the paperwork is submitted, the arrest is imminent. The caller may even provide another telephone number to call to verify the offense and pending arrest. Sometimes the caller is advised that there is a gag order in place and they are not to talk about it.
As a reminder, arrest warrants in Hamilton County are not served over the telephone. If in doubt about speaking with an official county employee, hang up the phone, research the appropriate number, and contact the agency directly. Do not call a number given by the person on the phone as it probably is not the correct number.
If you owe money to the county or to any government agency, contact the office directly to determine how the funds should be paid. Most government agencies do not use wire transfers, pre-paid credit cards, or gift cards. It is almost impossible to track or recover money if the victim falls for the fraud.
If you receive one of these scam phone calls or one similar to it, please report it to the appropriate law enforcement jurisdiction. The Hamilton County Public Safety Communications phone number is (317) 773-1282; they can help direct you to the appropriate agency to determine if a report should be filed.