The Boundary County Sheriff’s Office is aware of several calls made this morning (11/11/2024) allegedly coming from Boundary County Sheriff’s deputies advising people they have missed their jury selection and now owe fines.
The jury office will never ask for payment, a credit card or social security number for failure to appear for jury duty. Their preference is to issue a warrant so you can enjoy safe accommodations and explain your situation to a judge at the proper and appropriate time. If they ask for gift cards, alarm bells should go off.
A good rule of thumb — if it seems suspicious, contact your local law enforcement agency directly to file a report.
Scammers may attempt to schedule an appointment after requesting you get gift cards or certificates to pay your fine. They attempt to use scare tactics that they will issue arrest warrants if the fines are not paid today, and urgently press callers to respond. Some scammers may attempt to send a courier to pick the money up.
What can you do to stay safe? Follow the tips below and share them with your friends and family members:
- Most scams involve being asked to take urgent action. If you are contacted by a deputy asking for money to pay a fine, it is a scam. Deputies will not call to collect money or give their number for you to call back. Always check with your local Sheriff’s Office with concerns of fraud or scam.
- Be cautious of sharing personal information or family details on social media, as scammers can use this information to make their stories seem more credible.
- Be very skeptical if asked to make a payment using an unusual payment method. Gift cards or someone coming to your home to pick up money from you would not be a normal way of paying a fine other legal fees.