By JOSH FRIEDMAN
An old jury duty scam is making a comeback in San Luis Obispo County, according to the county sheriff’s office.
Over the last few days, several residents reported being contacted by someone claiming to be from the sheriff’s office. The scammers reportedly used technology to make it appear the calls were coming from the sheriff’s office.
The scammers warned residents that there was a warrant out for their arrest for failure to appear for jury duty. They used the names of actual judges to make the call appear to be legitimate and would tell residents they could clear the warrant by putting money onto a green dot card, also known as a prepaid debit card.
One SLO County resident fell victim to the scam and reportedly lost $5,000.
The sheriff’s office is warning residents it has no connection to the scam calls, nor does San Luis Obispo County Superior Court. Neither the sheriff’s office, nor the court contacts residents by phone about matters related to failure to appear for jury duty.
Sheriff’s officials request that anyone who receives one of the scam calls report it to a local law enforcement agency.