SCAM ALERT: The Charles County Sheriff’s Office is investigating several reports of a scam in which someone is calling residents claiming to be a police officer and warns the person they missed jury duty and must pay a fine or risk being arrested.
The caller tells the person in order to clear their name, they must pay the fine over the phone and respond to the court house within a few days to see a judge. In some cases, the caller has provided specific names of judges and in once case, the caller altered their call back number to appear as the CCSO’s non-emergency line.
Once the caller gains trust, they instruct the person to purchase a money card (similar to a charge card) and put a prepaid amount on the card. Once completed, the person is told to call back and provide the caller with the card’s pin number. In other cases, the scammer asks victims to provide credit card information or personal bank account information.
The Charles County Sheriff’s Office does not make phone calls regarding jury duty nor does the Charles County Office of the Clerk call or email anyone for financial purposes.
Anyone who receives a call of this nature is urged to hang up immediately. Persons who believe they may have been victims of this scam are asked to call Det. S. Webster at 301-609-6558.
