FBI Warning Kentucky Residents About ‘Well Thought Out’ Jury Duty Scam

Someone's probably going to try to scam me at some point today, but they won't succeed. I get phone calls from several different numbers sporting a Kentucky area code, and I don't answer them. I just hit "block" while it rings.

One time, without thinking, I did answer, and I heard nothing on the other end. Another time, just for the heck of it, I called one of those numbers back from a landline. I got a recorded message telling me the number had been disconnected and was no longer in service.

The Jury Duty Scam

I've also stopped getting those toll fee scam texts, too. So now, I'm just waiting for this new one (new to me) I've just heard about. It's a jury duty scam, and its perpetrators are targeting Kentuckians.

For starters, I had jury duty last summer, so they'll be barking up the wrong tree if they try it on me. According to the FBI, the caller will misrepresent themselves as an officer of the court or some other type of law enforcement officer, and they will inform you that you have failed to report for jury duty. And it's not just happening here in the Commonwealth.

It appears that sheriff's offices everywhere are getting out ahead of this. Man, these scammers are relentless.

What to Expect From a Jury Duty Scammer

They'll be very convincing, often reeling off information like badge numbers, the names of judges, and addresses, and it will sound convincing. They could ask for some kind of payment in the form of a prepaid card or a gift card that you'll be asked to purchase. They might also threaten you with criminal prosecution.

LEX18 in Lexington spoke with a woman who said her jury duty scammer asked her to report to the sheriff's office. She did not go, but did think it sounded like a well-thought-out scam.

Of course, the sheriff's office doesn't operate in this manner, nor does the court system. My jury notifications were in the mail. Nobody called about anything.

It now feels like somebody, somewhere, is always sitting around just concocting new ways to relieve people of their hard-earned money. Don't fall for it.