No, you didn’t miss jury duty: Phone scam targets SLO County residents, sheriff says
Get a call from a number claiming to be San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office? And did the caller say there was a warrant out for your arrest because you missed jury duty?
Don’t fall for it — it’s a scam, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Thursday.
Several SLO County residents reported in the last few days that someone claiming to be from the Sheriff’s Office told them they missed jury duty and as a result, had a warrant out for their arrest. The caller apparently uses technology to made it appear the call came from the Sheriff’s Office on caller ID.
The caller then tells the resident to give them information from a green dot card or prepaid debit card.
“The scammer has even used the names of actual judges to make the call appear to be legitimate,” the release said.
One SLO County resident lost $5,000 to the scammers, the release said.
The office called it “an old scam that’s making a new comeback.”
Over the past few years, the Sheriff’s Office and San Luis Obispo Police Department alike have been the subject of phone scams telling SLO County residents they can resolve a legal matter if they authorize payment on a gift card.
The Sheriff’s Office and San Luis Obispo Superior Court do not have any connection to these calls, and it is not their practice to contact residents by phone regarding these matters.
The office asks any resident who receives a call like this to report it to their local law enforcement agency and to warn their family and friends of the scam.
