Jury service scams have been reported and are more aggressive

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Twin Falls County officials are warning people not to fall for any grand jury scams.

It’s a common scam where a scammer tells an unsuspecting person that they’ve missed jury duty and need to pay money.

Twin Falls Grand Jury Commissioner Amanda Main said the scammer pretends to be a law enforcement officer and tells the person they have a warrant for their arrest.

A critical red flag that most people notice is when the scammer asks them to pay in cryptocurrency or gift cards and sometimes meets in person. Main said they have seen an increase in these scams, and the scammers have become more aggressive during these calls.

“I’ve noticed that they ask people to show up by themselves and stay on the phone the entire time they’re dealing with that business,” Main explained. “Receive the cash or gift cards and drive to the location.”

It is meant to instill fear and panic in the person to prevent them from thinking straight. They have seen some people fall for the scam and some avoid it.

“I recently had someone with money come in who was advised to meet at a local business here in Twin Falls,” Main said. “Instead of going straight to that business, they came here first to double check.”

Main said people selected for jury duty are notified by mail. If the person does not respond, she will notify them again by mail. If that doesn’t work, she’ll then ask a judge for permission to send a sheriff’s deputy to check on the person.

Lori Stewart, public information officer for the Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Office, said the officer will only contact the person by phone if the person has attended jury service.

“We will come in person, they will be in uniform. They will have the correct identification when they meet you,” explained Stewart.

Main adds that the person absent from jury duty will have to appear before a judge to explain why they lost their jury duty.

Main said if you get a phone call saying you missed jury duty, you should contact your local jury commissioner to check or go to court.