Here’s a tip that’ll help keep Ada County residents from being victimized by the latest phone scam.
Ada County Sheriff’s Office deputies will never call and threaten to arrest you because you missed jury duty.
Deputies will also never ask you to place funds for payment on a pre-paid credit card to “cancel the arrest warrant” for missing that phony jury duty.
Several Ada County residents received phone calls this week from scammers pretending to work for the Ada County Sheriff’s Office.
This is same scam that targeted Treasure Valley residents last spring.
In most recent cases, the scam caller identifies himself as “Captain Johnson” and requests personal information so he can clear the person’s name and cancel the mythical arrest warrant for missing jury duty. The mythical amount people “owe” has been anywhere from $2,000 to $4,000.
The scammers tell their victims to go to a store, get a pre-paid credit card (like a Green Dot), load it up with money, and then call a phone number with the card information.
The Ada County Sheriff’s Office and Ada County Jury Services Department began getting phone calls from concerned citizens about the scam late last week. Those calls have continued through this week.
The scammers acquire phone numbers with a 208 area code to make the scam seem more credible.
One number being used by scammers this week is (208) 220-9154.
The Better Business Bureau says people can protect themselves from becoming victims of identify theft by never giving out any personal information when getting an unsolicited phone call.
Giving out sensitive information over the phone — both personal and financial — can put people at risk for fraud.
If you did miss jury duty in Ada County, you would get a letter in the mail.
If you have received one of these scam phone calls, contact the Ada County Sheriff’s Office at 377-6790 or the Better Business Bureau online at BBB.org.
Scammers attempted the same con at least three times over the past two years.