SCAM ALERT Fort Smith Police Warn of Jury Duty Scam Targeting Residents

Fort Smith, Arkansas sent this bulletin at 10/21/2024 08:43 AM CDT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 21, 2024

CONTACT

Aric Mitchell
info@fortsmithpd.org
479-709-5000

SCAM CALLS

Fort Smith Police Warn of Jury Duty Scam Targeting Residents

Fort Smith, AR - The Fort Smith Police Department is alerting the public to a scam involving fraudulent calls from individuals posing as law enforcement. Victims have reported being contacted by someone claiming to be a sergeant from the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office, informing them of missed jury duty and a bench warrant for their arrest. The caller instructs the victim to pay a bond via PayPal to resolve the issue.

In a recent case, the scammer requested $4,000 from the victim to clear the warrant, followed by an additional request for $1,000. The scammer also falsely claimed the victim was under a “gag order” to prevent them from discussing the situation.

Residents are reminded that law enforcement will never request payments or personal information over the phone, and courts do not issue warrants for missed jury duty via phone calls. If you receive such a call, please hang up immediately and report the incident to the Fort Smith Police Department at 479-709-5000 and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3.gov). Paste this address into your browser's address bar if you have any issues accessing the link.

https://www.ic3.gov/

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