DCSO warning: ‘Jury duty arrest warrant’ scam back again

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office has been receiving reports since Monday of a scam that has occurred several times over the past two years in the area, and advised residents to avoid being ripped off.

Lt. Chad Davis said the scam involves a man portraying himself as a lieutenant with the sheriff’s office and making a claim that a person has a warrant out for their arrest for missing jury duty.

The caller then advises the potential victim to purchase a pre-paid debit card and provide them with the numbers on the card in order to pay the bail on the warrant and avoid going to jail, Davis said.

“Unfortunately, some citizens have followed through with the caller’s instructions and lost significant amounts of money by falling victim to this scam,” Davis said in a news release.

“The sheriff’s office wants the public to know this is a scam, and they should never send someone money without verifying the information they are being provided first,” the lieutenant said.

Davis said it is not common practice for the sheriff’s office to advise a citizen they have a warrant over the phone. In most cases, a citizen with an outstanding warrant will be contacted in person, and the deputy will have proper credentials when serving the warrant.

Anyone receiving phone calls similar to this in nature is asked to contact the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office at 541-693-6911 to report it.

“This scam is currently being investigated,” Davis wrote..