ROCKINGHAM – The Richmond County Clerk of Court’s Office has been made aware of a current “scam” relating to jury duty and wants to ensure that the citizens of Richmond County are cognizant of such.
Specifically, according to the Clerk of Court’s Office, it has been reported that some individuals have received bogus and fraudulent notices through personal e-mail (and possibly regular letters sent via the U.S. Postal Service).
These bogus notices stipulate that the recipient has been cited for a failure to appear for jury duty and may be subject to court-ordered penalties and/or arrest unless specified actions are immediately implemented. The recipient is instructed to click on a link embedded in the e-mail for further information.
Should such a false notice be received, the Clerk of Court’s Office advises locals to not click on the embedded link – it is a scam letter and should be deleted immediately.
Notices of this type are invalid and would never be disseminated by the court system, the Sheriff’s Department or any other official agency, especially if personal information (Social Security number, bank account numbers, etc.) or money is solicited in the message.
The Clerk of Court’s Office is making a significant effort to publicize this situation and to assure the citizens of Richmond County that no such missives have been forwarded by them. Generally, neither the Clerk of Court’s Office, nor the Richmond County Sheriff’s Department, uses e-mail for contacting citizens about matters related to jury duty or other types of official business.
It is advised that any such notices be immediately deleted without any further action on the part of the recipient. One should never “click on the link” of a suspicious e-mail, nor send any money to any address in conjunction with this reported scam.
Telephone-based scams of the same nature are also prevalent across North Carolina. Calls are placed by people impersonating deputies who proceed to claim that a warrant has been issued but that if the fine is paid immediately over the phone, no further action will be necessary.
These callers are attempting to exploit the fears of law-abiding citizens by demanding payments of as much as $1000. Green Dot Money Pak cards seem to be the predominant mode of payment associated with these plots.
The North Carolina Attorney General’s Office reminds citizens that authentic jury notices always arrive by U.S. Postal Service mail, no legitimate calls are ever made to threaten arrest for not reporting for jury duty or paying a fine, and that no immediate demand to use a prepaid card of any type is ever made by official law enforcement or court-related agencies.
The public is encouraged to report any suspicious calls, e-mails or letters to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Department or the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office. A consumer’s hotline is available at 877-5-NO-SCAM, and additional information can be found at the website for the North Carolina Department of Justice Attorney General’s Office (www.NCDOJ.gov).
