King County Sheriff’s Office warns of jury, taxes scam
Published 10:21 am Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Submitted by the King County Sheriff’s Office
According to the King County Sheriff’s Office, there have been a large volume of fraudulent calls that are allegedly coming from the Sheriff’s Office saying there is a warrant out for your arrest for not showing up for jury duty, or nonpayment of back taxes.
The Sheriff’s Office does not solicit for funds over the phone under any circumstances, said Sgt. Cindi West, the Sheriff’s Office media relations coordinator, in a press release.
Criminals are able to use false or “spoofed” numbers to make it appear that the call is coming from the Sheriff’s Office phone number, or from the courts.
West said if someone contacts you and tells you there is a warrant out for your arrest because you missed jury duty or that you owe back taxes, this is a scam. Discontinue the call immediately.
West added: “In this scam, the caller says that they are from the King County Sheriff’s Office, or from the Courts of King County, stating that because you missed jury duty and there is a warrant for your arrest. They will tell you to pay hundreds of dollars to avoid being arrested. They use high-pressure tactics to get you panicked and are very professional sounding.”
If they get you to agree to pay the money, they will tell you to purchase a cash card from a well-known store. Once you purchase the card, they will have you call them back with the special pin number on the back of the card. Within seconds, the funds will be transferred to their account.
They will then tell you to go down to the King County Courthouse and sign up for jury duty and that King County will reimburse you with a cashier’s check for the amount you paid them.
“The King County Sheriff’s Office or the courts will never call you for money on a warrant or tell you in advance they are coming to arrest you,” West said.
If you are a victim of this scam, you may file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission at http://www.fcc.gov/complaints
If you received a false call and actually sent/confirmed funds and wish to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, you can do so at http://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/Information#crnt&panel1-1
