BOISE, Idaho — Idaho court officials held a news conference Monday to issue a warning about an increase in scam phone calls claiming an arrest is imminent for missed jury duty and demanding money in exchange for jail time.
The scammers used real police officers’ names and publicly available information to make the demands seem real.
They even requested people to pay with gift cards or cryptocurrency.
The Clerk for the District Court of Idaho, Stephen Kenyon, shared that he even received one of these calls at work.
"I got a call from a jury scammer while I was here at the United States Courthouse trying to trick me into paying some kind of fine. And that is when I realized how persuasive and how widespread this is. It is a scary thing for everyone.” He said “What we are here to do to tell people is two things, first of all don't trust. Don't trust, just verify."
Ada County Clerk, Trent Tripple said people should stop, hang up and call the real court.
"We're never going to call you and ask you to pay for something related to courts over the phone. That's just not going to happen. So that's your first clue that something is amiss here. That's the same with the Federal Court building as well."
Tripple said if someone missed a jury summons, the court system will reach out through the mail to resolve the issue before requesting payment.
Court officials said there are a few things to do to avoid being scammed.
- End the call and verify the caller is legitimate by searching for the actual agency’s phone number.
- Do not use any phone numbers the caller provides.
- Never give out sensitive information over the phone.
- Government officials will never ask for payment through gift cards or cryptocurrency.
If you are unsure about a potential scam call or have questions about these scams, contact the Ada County Clerk's office, the U.S District Court of Idaho, the United State Attorney's Office or the Ada County Sheriff's Office.