MCARTHUR, Ohio — The Vinton County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about a new round of phone scam calls in which callers claim the victim missed jury duty and demand immediate payment to avoid arrest, the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post.
The office said it has received complaints about the scheme in recent days. Callers tell victims they face a warrant for missing jury duty, then press for payment through prepaid gift cards or cryptocurrency, according to the sheriff’s office. Other callers use similar pretexts involving unpaid taxes or parking tickets, all threatening jail if the person does not pay immediately, the office said.
The sheriff’s office asked residents to warn their parents, grandparents and other elderly or vulnerable neighbors, saying those groups are frequently targeted by the callers.
Legitimate courts and county offices do not demand unusual forms of payment or ask for money over the phone, the office said. Residents who receive such a call should not pay over the phone and should instead call the office in question directly, using a phone number they look up independently rather than one provided by the caller. The sheriff’s office said paying any fee in person remains the safest way to resolve a legitimate debt.
The warning follows an earlier alert from the sheriff’s office in August, when callers spoofed the agency’s own phone number and impersonated deputies to demand bond payments. The office said the tactics shift, but the underlying scheme — a caller posing as a government authority and demanding immediate payment under threat of arrest — remains the same.
The sheriff’s office did not say how many residents had reported calls or whether anyone had lost money.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Vinton County Sheriff’s Office.
