Montco Sheriff Warns Against Jury Duty Phone Scam

Montco Sheriff Russell Bono is warning residents that callers posing as sheriff’s deputies are scamming citizens with the threat of arrest if they don’t pay a fine for allegedly missing jury duty.  Scammers tell victims to buy Green Dot MoneyPak prepaid cards in amounts ranging from $300.00 to $1,500.00.  Then, callers order the victims to call the scammer back with the card numbers. 

Some of the callers have manipulated their caller IDs to make it appear as though the call is coming from the sheriff’s office.  The scammers also use law enforcement titles and ranks to make their threats more believable.  Local residents need to be aware that jurors are only notified of jury duty obligations through the U.S. mail by the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas.

“The court never asks citizens to reveal either personal or financial information over the phone.  They never threaten residents or ask them to pay fines to avoid arrest,” said Bono.  “Although these reports have started popping up in other areas, we haven’t received any yet.  I want to be proactive and try to prevent this from happening to any of our residents.”

Victims of this crime should immediately call the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office at 610-278-3331 or emailsheriffoffice@montcopa.org to report the incident.  Complaints can also be filed with the resident’s local police department or, The U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Pennsylvania by calling 215-861-8200 or online athttp://www.justice.gov/usao/pae/report_a_crime.htm. 

Follow the Sheriff’s Office on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/montcosheriff and Twitter@MontCoPASheriff.