Siskiyou County, CA – The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about an ongoing jury duty scam after receiving multiple reports of callers posing as law enforcement officers and court officials to demand money.
According to the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office, community members have recently reported receiving phone calls from individuals falsely claiming to represent the sheriff’s office. The callers tell victims they allegedly missed jury duty and must immediately pay fines or face arrest.
Authorities said the calls are fraudulent and urged anyone who receives one to hang up immediately without providing personal or financial information.
The sheriff’s office said jury duty scams often involve imposters pretending to be sheriff’s deputies, U.S. Marshals or court officials. Scammers may threaten jail time, immediate arrest or steep financial penalties unless payment is made. In some cases, they can manipulate caller ID technology to make it appear the call is coming from a legitimate courthouse or law enforcement agency and may even use the names of real judges or officers.
Officials advise residents to never provide payment or sensitive information over the phone in response to these threats.
Anyone who receives a suspected scam call is encouraged to report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Residents can also contact the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office at 530-842-8300 or verify jury duty status directly with the Siskiyou County Courthouse at 530-842-0411.
The sheriff’s office emphasized that legitimate government agencies do not demand immediate payment over the phone to resolve missed jury duty matters.
