If you answer your phone and are told there is a grand jury summons for you and federal warrants for your arrest, it is more than likely a scam

If you answer your phone and are told there is a grand jury summons for you and federal warrants for your arrest, it is more than likely a scam.

 

The Gulf County Sheriff’s Office is alerting people of a scam in which the victim receives an unsolicited phone call from someone claiming to be with the Sheriff’s department.

 

They might even have just enough information about you to make the call sound plausible.

 

The caller will then inform you that there is a grand jury summons for you and federal warrants but you can make them go away by paying over the phone, often in the form of prepaid gift cards.

 

The caller will then inform the victim of how to transfer the funds.

 

No law enforcement organization will ever call you and inform you that you need to pay any sort of fine or fee to resolve a legal situation, certainly not with gift cards.

 

If there is an actual arrest warrant for you, sheriff’s deputies visit you in person, more than likely unannounced.

 

If you get a call like this, the best thing to do is just hang up.

 

These types of scams are pretty prevalent, but just remember, if someone claims to be law enforcement and says you can clear up any legal issue by paying money over the phone – it is a scam.

 

Once you hang up, call the sheriff’s office and report it so they can let others know that the scam is ongoing.

 

For more information on phone scams, visit the Federal Trade Commission's website: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/phone-scams#examplesof

 

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