Utah Co. Sheriff’s Office warns of scam involving payment for missed jury duty

Officials with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office are warning residents of a scam involving a caller asking people to pay $900 for missed jury duty.

Deputies said Wednesday they have had several reports from people who have received these calls from someone claiming to be Lieutenant Jones, adding that Spanish Fork police had a victim lose $1,800 to this scammer.

The agency stated another victim lost $4,500 to a scammer who said their computer was infected, which it wasn’t.

“If someone calls saying you have a warrant or you owe money, it is OK to call law enforcement to see if you do have a warrant. The Utah County Sheriff’s Office has employees who call as a reminder to those who have a warrant, but they never ask for money over the phone,” the agency stated in a Facebook post Wednesday.

Deputies said to never agree to meet them somewhere, adding that it can be dangerous.

It appears the Utah County Sheriff’s Office isn’t alone. Officials with the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday they have had a lot of the same problems with these scammers.

“We feel for the victims who have lost their hard-earned money to these criminals and we hope stories like this will prevent it from happening to you,” the agency wrote on Facebook.