Fake Whitesboro police calls demand gift cards over missed jury duty

Callers pretending to be Whitesboro, N.Y. police officers are telling people they skipped jury duty and could be arrested. Some demand payment in gift cards. The Village of Whitesboro Police Department says the calls are fraud and that several residents have already received them.

What happened

According to the department, callers say the person failed to appear for jury duty or ignored a jury summons. They may claim an active warrant exists or that legal trouble is coming. In some cases, they tell people to buy gift cards to pay a made-up fine or penalty.

The department says it will never call anyone about missed jury duty, threaten arrest over the phone or ask for payment in gift cards. A call that does any of these is not from the police.

Who should pay attention

The warning is aimed at Whitesboro residents. Utica Police are also warning about scammers who claim to be investigators, say people have outstanding warrants and demand gift card payments to clear them. Anyone nearby could get a similar call. A call like this can cost real money fast, so the safest move is to stop it early. The steps in the box above explain how, including the number to call to check.

What is not known

The report does not say how many people have been called, whether anyone has paid, or who is behind the calls. It also does not say whether the callers use one script or several. Anyone who hung up without paying or sharing details has lost nothing.