Phoenix (AZ Family) — Authorities are warning Maricopa County residents about a jury scam demanding payment in Bitcoin after one resident was scammed out of thousands of dollars.
The Maricopa County, Arizona, Attorney's Office issued a warning Wednesday about a phone scam that cost a county resident $8,000 after he believed he had a warrant out for his arrest for missing jury duty, the office said.
The perpetrators called the victims posing as police officers and promising to drop the arrest warrant if they paid $8,000 in Bitcoin, and then told them to use a Coinstar kiosk to convert their cash into Bitcoin, according to law enforcement officials.
After making the payment, the victim realized it was a scam and contacted the jury office, only to be told the jury office would never call back to demand payment.
“We have seen an increase in phone scams regarding jury service,” said Jury Administrator Matthew Martin. “The scams are very sophisticated and easy to believe. To protect yourself, please remember that the Jury Office will never call individuals for any reason to request payment. Any fines or fees associated with missing jury service can only be ordered by a court judge.”
If you receive a threatening phone call about your potential jury service, follow these steps:
- Please write down the number.
- hang up.
- Call your local police.
- Do not provide any personal information to the caller or agree to any payment.
“If anyone misses jury duty, the court will issue a notice of failure to appear via U.S. mail and the potential juror will be asked to reschedule their jury service for a later date,” Martin said.
If you have any questions, please call our office at 602-506-5879 to verify your status as a juror.
According to government data, U.S. residents lost an estimated $2.7 billion to similar scams in 2023. Arizona ranked as the sixth worst state for fraud that year.
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