Scam Alert!

While in the literal act of putting together the paper this week, I spent longer than I should have on the phone with a pretty convincing scammer who informed me I had been issued warrants for failing to appear for federal jury duty after I had apparently signed a document last week committing to do so.  After a nervous few minutes, I realized I had been at work two counties over on the day in question, and some further reflection led me to belatedly realize that none of what was happening was the way the courts or law enforcement work.

If you should find yourself on the receiving end of a call offering you an over-the-phone chance to clear up your warrant status for around $2000—fully refundable when it’s cleared up!—hang up immediately and call your actual local sheriff’s office.  Just explaining to the person on the other end that if they could wait a second I could conference call with a deputy ended the call.  My scammers also said “10-4” a lot, which seems pretty obviously goofy in retrospect.  

It turns out this particular scam is well-noted, and warnings have been issued by a number of states.  The callers use “spoofed” numbers to make it appear that they are calling from your area; however, the caller ID is a cell number, rather than a police landline.  They obtain your street address through public records, and use that as a way to seem legitimate.  They will also use what sound like real warrant “numbers” and identifying information.  My guy had a badge number.  Be wary of unsolicited calls from numbers you don’t know, and if you have any concerns about an immediate threat to you on the part of law enforcement or the courts, contact police through a direct number to explain the situation.  There is no actual situation like the one described above that is resolved with a phone payment, and the scammers are potentially also trying to get a signature from you to misuse in the pursuit of loans, title or deed transfers, and other fraud.