St. James Parish deputies warn of jury duty scam targeting residents

ST. JAMES PARISH, La. (WGNO) — The St. James Parish Sheriff’s Office is warning residents of a new jury duty scam.

In a post to Facebook, deputies say the scam starts with a phone call from someone claiming to be from the sheriff’s office stating the resident missed jury duty, despite not receiving a notice.

They will continue on to say an arrest warrant has been issued and that the only way to cancel it is to pay a fine. If refused they may threaten to arrest.

Deputies say the alleged scammers may also ask for personal information such as a social security number or birthdate, in an attempt to steal your identity.

To avoid becoming a victim, deputies are advising residents to not share personal information over the phone unless they are certain it is a trusted source or family member. Also, they ask that you alert family and friends of the phone call to protect them from the same experience.

Deputies say they will never call and ask for money to “avoid jail and arrest.” Additionally, only scammers will insist that a payment be made via gift cards, payment app, cryptocurrency, wire transfer, or cash mailed in.

If you have fallen victim to the scam, deputies say to call them directly at 225-562-2200 to report the incident.

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