Pima County Superior Court officials have issued a warning about a jury duty scam in the region.
Court officials have hear reports from residents who say a man claiming to work for local law enforcement has made aggressive telephone calls demanding money from people who allegedly missed jury duty.
“No jury office staff, court representative or law enforcement officer will ever contact you by phone or email to tell you that you failed to report for your jury service and that you need to immediately go to the bank or a store to pay a fine,” Kathy Pollard, Jury Commissioner for Arizona Superior Court in Pima County said in a news release.
Sheriff’s officials also confirm that deputies don’t contact people concerning missed jury duty and don’t ask for money.
The man in the calls identifies himself as Lt. Tommy Donaldson, with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and tells people an arrest warrant has been issued because of their failure to appear for jury duty.
He tells people they can avoid arrest, however, if they pay a fine via a pre-paid Green Dot credit card.
The man instructs people to buy the pre-paid card at a grocery store near their home for between $400 and $1,500. They are instructed to call back with the card number so he can access the funds.
To date, several dozen people have reported the calls to the Pima County Jury Commissioner’s Office and the Tucson Police Department.
When someone does fail to appear for jury service, they will receive the following notice in the mail:
“FAILURE TO APPEAR NOTICE: Our records indicate you failed to appear as instructed for jury service on the date noted above. SECOND SUMMONS NOTICE: You must immediately call the jury office at 724-4222 to reschedule your jury service. Failure to contact the jury office may result in further action being brought against you by this Court as prescribed by Arizona law.”
Other areas have reported a similar scam recently, including California, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Indiana.
The caller has used the names Lt. John Donaldson and Capt. Mike Ring.
If you receive a similar call report it to the police by calling 911.
