For the second time in three months, local citizens are again being targeted by telephone calls threatening them with prosecution for failing to comply with jury summons.
On Tuesday, Captain Jeff Caldwell said the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office said they received a dozen calls from county residents who had received the scam call.
The caller usually stated they were a deputy with the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office. The victims of the scam are told a warrant for their arrest has been issued for missing a jury duty summons. The only way they claim they can have the summons retracted is to place money on an iTunes prepaid card or other form of “reload cards” obtainable at a local retail establishments. Captain Caldwell said there is no circumstance in which any member of the sheriff’s office will ever request or demand money for the retraction of a jury duty summons or warrant.
Also, courts do not require anyone to provide any sensitive information during a telephone call. Most contact between a 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.
Persons receiving such a telephone call should not provide the requested information, and should notify their nearest law enforcement agency.
