The Hughes County Sheriff’s Office says a local resident recently lost $22,000 as part of a jury duty phone scam.
Sheriff Patrick Callahan says the individual lost the money after receiving a call from someone claiming to be a representative of the Sheriff’s Office. The scammer told the resident that there was a warrant out for their arrest because the person had not shown up for jury duty. The person was then instructed to immediately pay a fine via Bitcoin in order to avoid being taken into custody.
Callahan says the Hughes County Sheriff’s Office– or any legitimate law enforcement agency or court office– will NEVER demand payment over the phone for failing to appear for jury duty or any other legal obligation. Additionally, he says, they will NEVER request payment in the form of cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin.
Attorney General Marty Jackley says these types of scams are designed to threaten and scare people into acting quickly, without properly investigating. He says anyone who receives a telephone call or text message about a summons for jury duty, should directly contact their county clerk of courts office to verify the information.
Additionally, Jackley says a text message scam threatening fines and other penalties for not paying traffic tickets, toll road fees or parking tickets continues to circulate in various forms. He says South Dakota state agencies do not send out threatening text messages, such as those.
Anyone who has questions about contacts they receive– whether it be by phone call, text, email, social media or other form of communication– can contact:
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their local law enforcement agency or
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the South Dakota Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-300-1986 or at https://consumer.sd.gov/.
Law enforcement agencies say some red flags to watch out for are:
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Urgency and Threats: Scammers often use aggressive language and threaten immediate arrest or legal action if you don’t comply.
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Requests for Immediate Payment: Legitimate authorities will not demand immediate payment over the phone.
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Unusual Payment Methods: Be highly suspicious if you are asked to pay with gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers or third-party payment apps.
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Demands for Personal Information: Never give out sensitive personal or financial information over the phone to an unsolicited caller.
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Inconsistencies: Scammers may have limited knowledge of official procedures or may use generic titles.
If you receive a call like this:
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Do not panic.
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Do not provide any personal information or make any payments.
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Hang up immediately.
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Directly contact the entity the caller is claiming to be from to verify the information.
By reporting what you’ve experienced, you may prevent your family, friends or neighbors from falling victim to a scam.
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