A new scam is being perpetuated on Columbia County residents, according to a press release from the Columbia Judicial Circuit judge.
The scammers call and tell the recipient that he or she missed jury duty and that a warrant has been issued for that person’s arrest. The caller alleges the warrant will be waived if the recipient pays a certain about of money through “an obscure gift card service or some other non-traditional payment method” that day, according to the press release.
No legitimate court or law enforcement officer would ever tell a citizen that an arrest warrant can be voided in return for a payment of any sort, the judges James G. Blanchard, Sheryl B. Jolly and J. Wade Padgett say in their press release.
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They added that this is an old scam with several variations. In the current version of the scam, someone calls and tells parents of adult children that their child did not appear for jury duty and tries to get the parent to make a payment to keep the child from being arrested.
Present scammers operating in Columbia County say they are employed at the Sheriff’s Office. The caller may know the full legal name of both the call recipient and his or her adult child. The judges urge county residents not to make any payments to such callers and to let the sheriff’s office know if they receive such calls. The non-emergency phone number for the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office is (706) 541-2800.
