JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (WJHL) — The Washington County, Tennessee Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) is warning residents of a phone scam circulating in the area.
According to a release from the WCSO, residents have reported receiving phone calls stating they’ve missed jury duty and must make a payment via gift card or Bitcoin.
The WCSO said these calls usually consist of scammers spoofing the department’s phone number and sometimes even posing as deputies, using real department employees’ names. The caller then demands the victim send money through a gift card to forgive the fake missed jury duty.
“The perpetrators engage in aggressive conversation and threats to get you to send money,” Sheriff Keith Sexton explained. “Do not under any circumstances send them money.”
The WCSO said the department will never demand payment over the phone or ask someone to pay a bond through a cash transfer machine.
Sexton encourages any county resident who receives a call like this to hang up and call his office. Sexton said the sheriff’s office can put victims’ minds at ease if phone scammers threaten an arrest.
