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Category Archives: jury scam

February 26, 2019 Savvy mom put breaks on scam targeted at daughter and saves the day

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Mother really did know best when it came to a 22 year-old former Las Vegas resident who got a call from a scammer posing as an officer, and threatening to throw her in jail for a warrant for missing jury duty. The young woman was scared and mortified, because she took the official sounding call at work on speaker, as coworkers listened. The fraudster offered the young woman, who currently lives in California, a remedy, if she headed to the grocery story to pay $1,000 fine. Bogus warrant scammers usually send their victims to the store to get prepaid credit cards that are untraceable.

On her way to the store, the would-be victim called her mom to convey her plight. The savvy mom immediately got suspicious and did an online search. Her quick search turned up a slew of information on scams aimed at bilking unsuspecting victims out of thousands of dollars for nonexistent warrants. Mom put the brakes on, stopped her daughter from making a big mistake and saved the day.

This scam is not new to our area. Missed jury duty warrant scams and other similar rip-offs have been going on for years in our community and across the country. Cunning con-artists are part of large rackets that have successfully stolen thousands of dollars from each of their many victims, who are fearful and fall prey to the official sounding schemes.

5 facts to ward off warrant scams

  1. Scams can be reported to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Financial Crimes Unit at Financialcrimes@lvmpd.com
  2. These jury warrant scams continue to pop up they can be done through phone call or e-mail.
  3. Be wary of phone calls or emails that look like a jury summons and request important personal information, including: date of birth and social security and driver’s license numbers and threatens a fine or prison for failing to respond.
  4. The court never calls or e-mails people to get personal information such as their social security number.  Those who receive these e-mails or calls should not respond and are advised to contact law enforcement.
  5. Another key red flag is the request for money. No official representatives of the court will call to solicit money for any purposes.

The District Court website has information on jury service; visit http://www.clarkcountycourts.us/ejdc/juror-information/index.html. Those who have received a summons can reschedule jury service online at https://ejuror.clarkcountycourts.us. A jury phone line is also available at 702-455-4472 (callers should remain on the line for the operator).

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June 19, 2018 Scammers claim to be with courts to rip people off

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Scammers have upped their game in yet another round of attempts to rip-off residents of Clark County, using the courts as bait. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department today, notified the court of a new round of rip-offs aimed at unsuspecting individuals who are targeted with a false claim of an arrest warrant for failure to appear on a Grand Jury summons.

According to correspondence from the LVMPD Financial Crimes Bureau, the scammers recently targeted a physician who was threatened with arrest for failure to appear on a Federal Grand Jury summons.

“The public should know that the court never calls on the phone or emails to solicit money or personal information under the threat of arrest for missing jury duty,” said District Court Chief Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez. “These scams are very sophisticated and persistent problem. We want to make the public aware of them and ask that those who get this this warning pass it along to friends and family so that they don’t fall victim.”

Different variations of this and other similar scams regularly surface in our community. Senior citizens are a favorite target of the scammers. A very official sounding scam artist usually calls unwitting victims and claims to have a warrant for their arrest for skipping jury duty. They offer up a few details that appear to check out through a cursory Internet search, such as the name of a judge or other official. Then the criminals get the victims to purchase a pre-paid credit card for hundreds of dollars to clear the warrant they claim they have. Within minutes, the scammers cash in on the cards and rip-off the worried victims.  These scams also come in the form of an official looking email.

Don’t fall for these rip-offs and be aware that the court never calls on the phone to solicit money or personal information. Report the crime to law enforcement and spread the word to friends and family.

Top three point to know about these scams

  1. The court never calls or e-mails people to get personal information such as their social security number. Those who receive these e-mails or call should not respond and are advised to contact the Attorney General’s office or the LVMPD Financial Crimes Theft Crimes Bureau.
  2. A key red-flag is the request for money or a pre-paid credit card. No official representatives of the court will call to solicit money for any purpose.
  3. Be wary of phone calls or emails that look like a jury summons and request important personal information including: date of birth, social security number, driver’s license number; and threatens a fine or prison for failing to respond.

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June 12, 2017 Missed jury duty scam rears its ugly head again – community advised to be wary

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It’s the scam that keeps scamming and it has resurfaced for another round of rip-offs in Clark County. A local victim received a phone call from a scammer who claimed to be with Clark County. The victim was told that she missed an appearance for grand jury and she needed to go to a nearby pharmacy to get a pre-paid credit card to post a bond. She was told there was a deputy on his way to her house to arrest her if she didn’t have the money for the bond. This isn’t the first time criminals have used false warrants and bogus claims to get unsuspecting victims to pay-up for missed jury duty. The court is getting the word out on these scams and is asking the community to beware and let others know the telltale signs of the scam.

“The court never solicits money on the telephone or threatens to send a deputy to arrest individuals who have missed jury service,” said District Court Chief Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez. “Jury service is the cornerstone of the American Justice system. It’s unfortunate that criminals are trying to exploit such an important process to steal from unsuspecting victims. I encourage those who receive these bogus calls to report them to law enforcement,”

Other scams tried in the past, made via telephone, mail or e-mail, have included fake judgments that required money, and an assortment of phony warrant scams. The scammers are hard to catch and prosecute. They mostly ask victims to purchase pre-paid credit cards. Potential victims should independently verify all claims, and thoroughly examine and verify any paperwork or e-mails that asks for money. Many of the victims have been senior citizens. It is optional for those over the age of 70 to serve on a jury. The District Court website offers information on jury service at http://www.clarkcountycourts.us/ejdc/juror-information/index.html. Those who have received a summons can reschedule jury service online at https://ejuror.clarkcountycourts.us. A jury phone line is also available at 702-455-4472 (callers should remain on the line for the operator).

 

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February 9, 2016 Scammers Revive Jury Duty Hoax That Demands Thousands For Bogus Warrants

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For several years running, a new scam surfaces around this time of year, that falsely uses the name of the court or a judge to steal money from some of the most vulnerable in our community. This time, the scammers targeted at least one disabled woman and others. Through a phone call, a scammer claimed he was with the sheriff’s department; that the intended victim had a warrant for skipping jury duty and needed to pay up on a $2,500 bond. The scammer gave a fake name, a bogus badge number and even offered up a phone number. He added that the victim missed a court date with a District Court judge, and instructed her to go the grocery store to get a pre-paid form of payment for the bond.

“The community must remain vigilant to protect themselves and guard their personal information and financial resources from these scams that continue to re-surface,” said District Court Chief Judge David Barker. “I commend those who reported this scam for their actions and advise others who receive suspicious solicitations to report them to law enforcement.”

Other scams tried in the past, made via telephone, mail or e-mail, have included fake judgments that required money, and an assortment of phony warrant scams. The scammers are hard to catch and prosecute. Many of their victims are seniors on a fixed income and just want to stay on the right side of the law. Potential victims should independently verify all claims, and thoroughly examine and verify any paperwork or e-mails that asks for money.

 

 

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