The King County Sheriff's office is alerting the public to a phone scam being attempted in our area. They say a high volume of fraudulent calls are being made, allegedly from the Sheriff's office claiming there is a warrant out for your arrest for now showing up for jury duty or nonpayment of back taxes. They state clearly "This is a scam!"

The Sheriff’s Office does not solicit for funds over the phone under any circumstances.

Criminals are able to use false or “spoofed” numbers to make it appear that the call is coming from the Sheriff’s Office phone number, or from the Courts.

If someone contacts you and tells you there is a warrant out for your arrest because you missed jury duty or that you owe back taxes, this is a scam. Discontinue the call immediately.

In this scam the caller says that they are from the King County Sheriff’s Office, or from the Courts of King County, stating that because you missed jury duty and there is a warrant for your arrest. They will tell you to pay hundreds of dollars to avoid being arrested. They use high pressure tactics to get you panicked and are very professional sounding. This is a scam!!!

If they get you to agree to pay the money, they will tell you to purchase a cash card from a well known store. Once you purchase the card they will have you call them back with the special pin number on the back of the card. Within seconds the funds will be transferred to their account.

They will then tell you to go down to the King County Courthouse and sign up for jury duty and that King County will reimburse you with a cashier’s check for the amount you paid them.

The King County Sheriff’s Office or the Courts will never call you for money on a warrant or tell you in advance they are coming to arrest you.

If you are a victim of this scam:
You may file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission at
http://www.fcc.gov/complaints

If you received a false call and actually sent/confirmed funds and wish to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission you can do so at
http://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/Information#crnt&panel1-1

For more information on the topic:

US Courts Link:
http://www.uscourts.gov/FederalCourts/JuryService/JurorScams.aspx

Snopes Link:
http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/juryduty.asp