I-Team investigates jury duty scam in Durham
DURHAM (WTVD) -- Every year hundreds of people are called upon to fulfill their civic duty at local courthouses. However, potential jurors in Durham are getting a different type of call.
"It's a scam," said Paul Sherwin, the spokesperson for the Durham County Sheriff's Office.
This week, Durham investigators received yet another report of a Durham citizen bilked out of hundreds of dollars after receiving a bogus phone call from someone impersonating an officer.
An incident report from May, obtained by ABC11, shows a person claiming to be a Durham County deputy told a woman there was a warrant for her arrest for failing to appear for jury duty.
The caller knew her name and age. They instructed her to pay a $1,500 or run the risk of jail time. The panicked victim used their credit card to purchase money cards at a local store. She called the scammer back with the numbers of the money cards.
Investigators say payment requested over the phone is one of many red flags.
"Law enforcement will not call you and say, "Hey! You've got a warrant," explained Sherwin.
After the scammers tried to get more money, the woman contacted the Durham County Sheriff's Office. Investigators tracked their number all the way to Georgia where they vanished.
"Most often times the people that are conducting these scams, they're not local. They're from out of state," Sherwin told ABC11. "They're using disposable phone numbers, disposable phones. It makes the investigation very difficult."
Sherwin urges Durham citizens to hang up on the bogus callers.
By law, potential jurors who receive a summons by mail and fail to report to the Durham County courthouse can be fined $50. They cannot be arrested and that fine cannot be paid over the phone.
