Sheriff’s office warns of jury duty scam

The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office is warning of a jury duty scam in the area.

The county jury commissioner has gotten multiple reports of people targeted by the scammers.

The latest attempted victim was an attorney who received a call telling him that he had a warrant for fail to appear for jury duty and one for failure to return paperwork. The male on the other line said he was Sgt. Karl Brown with the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office Warrants Division. He gave a fake court case number and said each count carried a $250 fine. He called from (208) 270-3374. He requested payment of fines over the phone.

In another case, the 80-year-old victim got a similar call. This time, “Brown” told the victim that he owed $800 in fines. The phone number that date was (208) 270 2731. The victim paid with a Green Dot card and debit card and then reported the call to Idaho Falls police.

In the two cases, the scammer requested victims to get money cards from Walgreens to pay the fines. Both telephone numbers have been disconnected.

The sheriff’s office said it will never call you over the phone to collect money. If you get a call from someone claiming from a law enforcement officer, and you’re suspicious:

Ask for the person’s name – get as much information as possible and report it to law enforcement.
Call your local dispatch to see if there is an officer with that actually works for the agency.

The sheriff’s office said telephone scams about jury duty is becoming more common. Never give money over the phone to anyone claiming to be a law enforcement officer.