Schuylkill County officials are warning the public about an ongoing jury duty scam involving a person purporting to be a deputy sheriff.
In a statement released Wednesday, President Judge Jacqueline Russell, District Attorney Mike O’Pake, and Sheriff Shawn Butler say this scam has not yet been reported in Schuylkill County but could occur.
Residents should be aware of the potential for this scam to be perpetrated locally as a criminal trial term is currently underway at Schuylkill County Courthouse.
The scam has happened elsewhere, according to officials, and targeted a school teacher. In it, the scammer portrayed themselves over the phone as a deputy sheriff and contacted a school district and asked for a specific teacher.
When the teacher was on the phone, the bogus deputy sheriff told them they’d failed to respond to a jury summons and to rectify the situation, they’d need to secure money, stay on the phone, and meet the scammer at a disclosed location to hand over the money.
Schuylkill County officials say they will never phone anyone because they failed to respond to a jury summons and would never solicit payment for failing to appear for jury duty. Though this scam hasn’t been reported here, officials are urging residents to be vigilant against the fraud.
If a Schuylkill County resident does receive such a phone call from anyone claiming to represent Schuylkill County courts, the DA’s office, or Sheriff’s office, they are urged not to provide the person on the other end of the call with any personal information or any forms of payment.
Scammers may ask for cash, credit card information, payment by gift cards, or other electronic forms of money transfer.
If you do receive such a call you believe to be a scam, contact any Schuylkill County official by calling the Courthouse at 570-622-5570 or the state Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection at 800-441-2555 or by email at scams@attorneygeneral.gov.
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