Madison County man conned out of $2,700 in jury service scam

The Madison County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office received unwelcome surprises in the mail this week: envelopes filled with thousands of dollars in gift cards with the number strips scratched off the back – a sign that the senders had been scammed. The Madison County Sheriff’s Office is investigating.

 In one of at least two incidences this week, a local resident mailed $2,700 in used cash gift cards to the clerk’s office.

 The resident, who asked to remain anonymous, told the clerk’s office and law enforcement that he received a call last week from someone with a southern accent claiming there was a warrant for his arrest due to missed jury service and that he needed to pay to avoid jail. The con man said the court would accept gift cards as payment. He directed the resident to purchase the gift cards ($5.95 each to activate) and provide the unique numbers that appear after scratching off the strip on the back of the cards. The resident provided the numbers for six cards valued at $450 each.

 “I felt so sad for the individual this happened to because that is a great deal of money to lose,” said Rhonda Dykes, a chief deputy in the clerk’s office. “It also makes me angry because more than likely the person causing this scam will never be caught and held accountable.”

 The crime comes in the lead up to National Slam the Scam Day on Thursday, March 6, which is designated by Social Security’s Office of the Inspector General to raise awareness of government imposter scams as they continue to spread across the United States.

 To make the con seem legitimate, the Madison County scammer spoofed his phone number to look like it was coming from the sheriff’s office and told the resident to send the scratched-off cards and receipts to the circuit clerk’s office.

 "It’s heart-wrenching when we hear of folks being taken advantage of with these scams,” said Darren Allen, manager of the Division of Court Security at the Administrative Office of the Courts. “Under no circumstances should you pay someone who says you owe money for missing jury service. This is not a real thing. Always make your local circuit court clerk your first call to check any court-related information if you are contacted about payment. This can save you a lot of money and pain.”    

 Contact information for all 120 circuit court clerks is available on the Kentucky Court of Justice website at https://kcoj.info/Counties.

 A valid arrest warrant is never served by phone, text ​or email, and Kentucky Court of Justice personnel will never ask for payment, a credit card number or Social Security number for failure to appear for jury service.

 Madison County Sheriff Mike Coyle said he was “asking the citizens of Madison County to be vigilant and alert that there is an increase in scams being reported.”

 “The scams come in many forms and ways,” he said. “Know that they want to instill fear or make you think there is a quick financial gain for you to benefit from. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Make sure you investigate and do your research before agreeing to any type of transaction, whether it’s with cash, gift cards or some other form of currency. Always protect your personal information. Don’t become a victim.”

 The AOC offers free scam alert resources on the Kentucky Court of Justice (Judicial Branch) website to help protect Kentuckians from payment scams. Explore the scam alert webpage and bookmark it to check back for alerts anytime at https://kcoj.info/CourtsScamAlert.

 The webpage aims to help the public stay informed of common fraud schemes, offers tools to help citizens protect themselves and provides an outlet for reporting fraud and getting further assistance. Among the resources on the webpage are a video about tactics criminals use to scam people to get money and personal information, a link to jury service information by county, a fraud fact and tip sheet, and contact information for reporting scams. Get to the video directly at https://kcoj.info/ScamVideo.

 If you receive a suspicious call, email or other communication from someone who claims to be a court employee and requests financial information, contact your local jury office (https://kcoj.kycourts.net/jurorinfo) and local law enforcement immediately.

 Learn more about National Slam the Scam Day at https://www.ssa.gov/scam/resources.html. Slam the Scam Day is part of National Consumer Protection Week, which is set by the Federal Trade Commission and takes place this year from March 2-8. Find resources at https://consumer.ftc.gov/features/national-consumer-protection-week.