BCSO Warning Residents of a Jury Duty Scam
By Garrett Christensen on Thursday, December 1st, 2022 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
BAKER CITY – (Release from the Baker County Sheriff’s Office) BCSO received a report of a jury duty scam circulating in Baker County. The scammer told the victim that he failed to appear on a jury duty summons and now had a warrant for his arrest. To rectify the warrant, the victim was instructed to withdraw cash from the ATM and purchase a Green Dot Prepaid VISA card and put it in the mail.
Law enforcement authorities will never contact members of the public by telephone to demand any form of payment, especially by purchasing a gift card, or to request personal or sensitive information. Any legitimate investigation or legal action will be done in person or by official letter.
Scams are becoming increasingly common, especially during the holidays. Here are a few tips to help you stay safe:
- Never give out your personal or financial information over the phone.
- Never purchase a gift card or complete a wire transfer to satisfy the scammer’s demand for payment.
- Don’t panic. Scammers will try to convince you to act immediately and threaten you with arrest, revoking your driver’s license or tell you your computer is about to be corrupted.
- If you receive one of these calls, hang up.
You can report the scam directly to the Federal Trade Commission at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/.
Check out the video below to learn about how scammers try to get you to pay. This may help you spot a scam in the future!
