Criminal Justice
Scammer seeks to profit by imposing 'fines' on those who missed jury duty, authorities say
It’s no secret that many people blow off jury duty the first time or two they are summoned.
That’s given an enterprising Colorado criminal an idea for a scam, in which he calls up individuals and threatens to arrest them if they don’t ante up to pay “fines” for not appearing, the Denver Post reports.
Authorities are seeking a man who calls himself Major Tom Wilson and claims to be with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department. He asks victims to get debit-like cards to pay the claimed amount due, then read the numbers to him over the phone so he can use them without picking them up.
A spokesman for the sheriff’s department notes that it would never demand money from individuals in this manner.
