Officials warn of resurfacing jury duty phone scam

OAKLAND COUNTY — The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office is reporting an uptick in phone scams from people impersonating local police and threatening residents’ arrest for failure to show up for jury service.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said the Sheriff’s Office is investigating two new cases where women in the 40s were threatened with jail because of a phony claim that they missed jury service.

In each instance, a caller reportedly told the women they needed to call the Sheriff’s Office to discuss a confidential legal matter. They were given names of actual command staff members who are employed by the Sheriff’s Office, but a phony number, according to reports. They were then told they would be arrested and jailed unless they made an immediate payment to a bitcoin machine.

Bouchard said one woman was instructed to go to a location and deposit $1,000 to avoid jail time, but she became suspicious when she was told she could not get a receipt for her payment. She then filed a complaint with the Sheriff’s Office.

The second victim, Bouchard said, returned the call but became suspicious and did not follow up with any payment. She also filed a complaint.

The scammer, Bouchard noted, often uses the actual name of a deputy or commander in the Sheriff’s Office, and provides the victim with a phone number they say will connect them to the Sheriff’s Office.

When the victim calls the provided number, a recorded message states the caller has reached the Sheriff’s Office and all personnel are busy on other calls. The caller is then asked to leave a callback number, which the scammer uses to call them back, giving specific instructions as to how to make the necessary transaction, including providing an account number for the bitcoin deposit or the registration numbers for the gift cards.

Bouchard said it’s a scam if anyone ever calls and demands money over the phone, and he reminded residents to be wary of unsolicited telephone calls threatening jail time unless an immediate payment is deposited to an untraceable bitcoin machine for bogus claim, such as missed jury service, an unpaid ticket or to bond a loved one out of jail.

“These scams and scammers have become more sophisticated and more creative, finding new ways to rob innocent citizens of their hard-earned money,” Bouchard said in a statement. “We continue to remind anyone who receives an unsolicited phone call from someone representing themselves as a government entity demanding immediate payment for anything that it is a scam. Don’t believe it. Hang up.”

The Sheriff’s Office and the courts do not accept bitcoin or gift cards for cash bonds.

Representatives from both the U.S. District Court – Eastern Michigan District in Detroit and Oakland County Circuit Court said delinquent jurors would be contacted by mail, never by phone.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is also warning residents of scammers using bitcoin ATMs to defraud unsuspecting victims.

“If you receive a call from someone claiming to be from an agency or company who demands you use a Bitcoin ATM to pay a fine or bill, it is most certainly a scam,” Attorney General Nessel said in a statement. “Before taking any action, hang up, breathe, and verify any claims.”

People with questions about the legitimacy of a call are urged to immediately hang up and call their local police department’s non-emergency number for verification.

Bouchard said anyone with concerns about such calls should call the Sheriff’s Office dispatch at (248) 858-4950.