Dallas County Authorities Warn Of Scammers Trying To Collect Fines For Failing To Report To Jury Duty
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Authorities in Dallas County are warning the public about a scam where callers are posing as law enforcement officials and trying to collect fines for failing to report to jury duty.
Authorities say the nationwide scam calls involve people pretending to be officials with the Dallas County Sheriff's Office, the U.S. Marshals Office and other law enforcement.
According to the sheriff's office, the callers tell victims they are collecting fines due to the victims not appearing for jury duty or for other offenses. They tell the victims they can avoid arrest if they pay a fine and that they can use a prepaid debit card to pay the fine.
Authorities said the scammers are even using tactics -- like providing badge numbers and using names of real law enforcement officials and judges -- to sound credible. The phone number on caller ID may also appear as a court or government agency.
Authorities are asking the public to report the scam calls to their local police department, sheriff's office, U.S. Marshals office and the Federal Trade Commission.
"Legitimate court employees and other law enforcement officials will never call to solicit this type of personal or financial information from you. The Sheriff's Office won't ask for a credit/debit or gift card number or bank routing numbers or ask for funds to be wired for any purpose," Dallas County Sheriff Marian Brown said. "If the caller is urging you to provide this type of information or any other personal or financial information, hang up and report the call to the your local police authorities and the FTC. You can even report to both agencies anonymously."