Jury Duty Scam Alert: The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office will never call or text you about missed jury duty, and will never ask you to pay a fine or bond over the phone. If you get one of these calls, hang up.
Residents across Wayne County and metro Detroit are getting phone calls from people who claim to be Wayne County sheriff’s deputies. The caller says you missed jury duty, a warrant has been issued for your arrest, and the only way to clear it is to pay right away. Some callers use the names of real deputies to sound believable. None of it is true.
Sheriff Raphael Washington has been clear: the Sheriff’s Office would never call anyone about missing jury duty. These callers are criminals using the name of our agency to steal from the people we serve.
How the Jury Duty Scam Works
The details change, but most of these calls follow a similar pattern:
- A frightening accusation. The caller says you failed to appear for jury duty, or that you have unpaid tickets or tolls, and that there is now a warrant out for your arrest.
- An official-sounding identity. They give a deputy’s name, a badge number, or a case number. Caller ID may be “spoofed” so the call looks like it is coming from a government number.
- Fake paperwork. Scammers may text you official-looking documents, such as an “arrest warrant,” a “confidentiality order,” or an order that says you must stay on the phone. Real courts and law enforcement agencies do not send warrants by text message.
- Isolation. You are told not to hang up and not to talk to family, an attorney, or the Sheriff’s Office. Some callers even claim that coming to the Sheriff’s Office will get you arrested. Calls can go on for 30 minutes or more.
- A demand for money. You are told to pay a “bond” or “fine” to clear the warrant, often by pulling cash out of the bank and feeding it into a “secure kiosk,” which is really a Bitcoin or cryptocurrency ATM. Others ask for gift cards, payment apps, or wire transfers.
The Newest Twist: Keeping You on the Move
Recent reports describe scammers keeping victims on the phone while sending them from place to place, such as a bank and then a gas station or liquor store with a cryptocurrency machine. The caller may ask for your car’s odometer reading and promise to “reimburse your mileage,” or send a flyer showing a deputy standing beside a kiosk. These extra steps are meant to keep you busy, make the process feel official, and stop you from noticing the warning signs. If a kiosk screen shows a fraud warning, believe the warning, not the caller.
Warning Signs to Look Out For
Hang up if a caller does any of the following:
- Says you will be arrested for missing jury duty unless you pay right now.
- Asks you to pay with cash at a kiosk, Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency, gift cards, prepaid cards, a payment app, or a wire transfer.
- Tells you to stay on the line, not to hang up, or not to tell anyone.
- Tells you not to contact your attorney, your family, or the Sheriff’s Office.
- Texts you a warrant, court order, or other legal document.
- Asks for your Social Security number, bank account, or credit card information.
What the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office Will Never Do
- We will never call or text you about missed jury duty.
- We will never ask you to pay a fine, fee, or bond over the phone to avoid arrest.
- We will never ask for cryptocurrency, gift cards, or cash deposited at a kiosk.
- We will never tell you to keep a call secret or forbid you from speaking with your attorney.
How to Protect Yourself
- Hang up. Trust your instincts. A real law enforcement matter does not require you to stay on the phone.
- Do not click links or open attachments in texts or emails that claim to be warrants or court orders.
- Verify on your own. If you are worried about a jury summons, contact the court that sent it using the phone number printed on your official paper summons or listed on the court’s official website. Never use a number the caller gives you.
- Never pay a “fine” or “bond” with cryptocurrency, gift cards, or a kiosk. Once that money is sent, it is almost impossible to get back.
- Talk to your family. Share this alert with parents, grandparents, and neighbors. Anyone can be targeted.
If You Think You Have Been Targeted
- Stop all contact with the caller and do not send any more money.
- Contact your bank or card company right away if you sent money or shared account information.
- Report it to your local police department. Write down the phone number that called you, the name the caller used, the amount requested, and how they asked you to pay.
- Report it to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
- Report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov, especially if cryptocurrency was involved.
- If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
Related Alert
Scammers also pose as deputies to demand money for a loved one’s release. Learn the warning signs in our Bond Scam Alert: How to Spot a Fake “Bond Out” Call.
Remember: No deputy will ever call to collect money for missed jury duty. If a call scares you into paying fast, that is exactly what the scammer wants. Hang up, verify, and report it. Don’t be a victim.
Sources: WDIV Local 4 / ClickOnDetroit, “Wayne County Sheriff warns of scammers impersonating deputies in aggressive jury duty phone scheme” and WXYZ Channel 7, “Officials warn of new twist in jury duty scam targeting metro Detroiters”.
