SCIOTO COUNTY, Ohio — The Scioto County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents that a long-running phone scam targeting the county has resurfaced with a new wrinkle: callers are now invoking the names of specific sheriff’s office employees to sound more convincing, according to a post from the office.
The office said it has fielded numerous calls from residents across the county in recent days reporting scam calls from people claiming to work for the sheriff’s office. Callers have identified themselves as “Captain Davis” and “Lieutenant Staten,” the office said, though it did not say whether those names match any real employees.
The callers tell victims they missed jury duty, failed to respond to a subpoena or were involved in a vehicle crash, then threaten that a warrant will be issued unless the person pays immediately, according to the sheriff’s office. The added claim of involvement in a crash is a new pretext not mentioned when the office warned of a similar scheme last month, broadening the range of false scenarios callers are using to pressure victims.
The sheriff’s office outlined how the scam typically unfolds: callers impersonating law enforcement officers, U.S. marshals or court officials claim the victim missed jury duty or a court date and say an arrest warrant has been issued. They offer to make the warrant disappear in exchange for immediate payment, often telling victims they are under a “gag order” and cannot discuss the call with family, friends or law enforcement — a tactic meant to isolate victims and prevent them from verifying the claim, the office said. Victims are then instructed to pay through apps such as Venmo, Cash App or Zelle, or through gift cards, wire transfers or cryptocurrency.
None of that reflects how real warrants are handled, the sheriff’s office said. Neither the Scioto County Common Pleas Court nor the sheriff’s office will ever call, text or email demanding immediate payment to clear a warrant or fine, and actual warrants are served in person, not settled over the phone or through a payment app. No government agency accepts gift cards or cryptocurrency as payment, and no law enforcement agency issues a verbal “gag order” barring someone from contacting authorities to verify a call, according to the office.
The sheriff’s office is urging anyone who receives one of the calls to hang up immediately and avoid sharing personal or financial information, including Social Security numbers or bank account details. Residents with questions about a jury summons or an alleged warrant should hang up and call the Scioto County Clerk of Courts directly at 740-355-8218 with the case number in hand, rather than call back a number provided by the caller. The office is asking residents to report fraudulent calls to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov or to local law enforcement, and to share the warning with family members, particularly elderly relatives who are frequently targeted by these schemes.
The jury-duty scam is not unique to Scioto County. The FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service have separately warned the public nationally about similar schemes in which callers claim a target missed jury duty or a court date and demand payment to avoid arrest. The Justice Department’s Elder Justice Hotline, 1-833-372-8311, is available to help older adults who believe they have been targeted by fraud.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Scioto County Sheriff’s Office.
