Michigan AG issues warning after scammer demands money from victims for supposedly missing jury duty
(CBS DETROIT) - In a continued effort to address jury duty scams, the Michigan Attorney General's office issued a warning after receiving reports of scammers threatening people with arrest if they don't pay for supposedly failing to appear in court.
The warning comes after the Oakland County Sheriff's Office issued a similar warning last month. Authorities say two residents turned themselves in to the sheriff's office for arrest warrants that didn't exist.
Officials say the scammer claimed to be with the sheriff's office and told victims they failed to appear for jury duty in federal court. The caller threatened to arrest them unless the victims paid a cash bond as high as $5,000.
Fortunately, neither victim in those cases paid the money.
After learning of the scams in the county, Attorney General Dana Nessel urge the public to do their research and look up government phone numbers as scammers may also pretend to be from the FBI, IRS or other state and federal government entities.
"The public should remember that delinquent jurors are never contacted by phone to pay fines for missed jury duty," Nessel said in a statement. "You would receive a notice by mail with specific instructions on what to do next, not a demand for immediate payment under threats of jail."
Nessel says another scam involved sending letters to residents appearing to be from the state, indicating a "final demand for payment" for a tax lien and demanding payment. One letter sent to a nursing center in Detroit demanded $27,622 for nonpayment; however, no tax debt was owed to the state, and the 800 number on the letter was discovered to be commonly used in similar scams.
"Residents should verify any correspondence that demands immediate payment, particularly for debts," Nessel said. "A letter demanding payment should contain specific information about your account. If it doesn't, it's most likely a scam."