Allen County court officials warn of jury duty spam calls

ALLEN COUNTY, Ind. (WPTA) - Allen County’s Court Executive is warning residents of a resurfaced scam involving bogus jury duty calls.

Court Executive John McGauley says someone claiming to be a law enforcement officer tells the target that they missed jury duty and a warrant has been issued for their arrest, so they must pay a fine. They say the calls come from a “260″ phone number.

The callers have demanded payment through cash, debit cards or gift cards, McGauley says. He also notes that some of those calls have included a request for an in-person meeting to pay the “fine” in cash.

Officials say all legitimate contact with prospective jurors happens in writing, starting with a postcard requesting certain information to determine eligibility for jury service. They say information like bank or credit card numbers, or a request for any payment, is never requested. The court does not make phone calls for these matters, McGauley says.

Anyone with questions regarding the scam or jury duty is asked to call the Allen Superior Court Jury Management Office at (260) 449-7520 or (260) 449-7022.