Scams concerning jury duty reported in Union County

News-Times
News-Times

Union County residents have reported receiving calls claiming there are warrants out for their arrest.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents after receiving several reports of people who have been contacted with claims that they failed to appear for federal jury duty and now have a warrant out for their arrest.

According to the website for the administrative office of U.S. federal courts, juror scams are fairly common, with people often being targeted by phone calls and emails threatening prosecution. The scams also request credit card numbers for a fee to be paid to remove the charge from a person’s record.

The office states that “federal courts do not require anyone to provide any sensitive information in a telephone call or email. Most contact between a federal court and a prospective juror will be through the U.S. mail, and any phone contact by real court officials will not include requests for Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, or any other sensitive information.”

Lt. Walter Bass, with the sheriff’s office, said they also do not contact people by phone when they have a warrant.

“We would not ask for your credit card number over the phone either,” Bass said.

He said if a resident receives a call like those reported and has concerns about its legitimacy, they can contact the sheriff’s office.

Bass also said the same scam was used around fall 2016 in Union County .

Haley Smith can be reached at 870-862-6611 or at [email protected]. Follow her on facebook and twitter at @hsmithEDNT.

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