Sarasota woman loses $40,000 in jury duty phone scam

A Sarasota County woman lost more than $40,000 to callers who claimed she had a warrant for missing jury duty, WWSB first reported.

The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, told WWSB she received three calls in a row from someone claiming to be with the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office. The caller said she could avoid arrest by depositing cash into an ATM.

"He proceeds to explain that I can take care of this today by inserting cash in an ATM," she said.

She deposited $18,000 in cash. The scammer kept calling with new reasons to send more money.

When she tried to end the call, the caller turned threatening. He told her she would face an additional charge and claimed she was under a gag order barring her from talking to anyone, according to WWSB's report.

By the time she realized what was happening, she had lost more than $40,000.

She eventually broke free by secretly contacting a friend in law enforcement. She asked whether the Sheriff's Office would ever have someone deposit money into a Circle K ATM to clear a warrant. The answer was no. The friend told her to hang up.

Others are getting the calls

Stacy Fellows of Venice said she also received a jury duty scam call. She did not lose any money, but described the caller as aggressive.

"They are pretty aggressive in what they say, and they seem to know what they're talking about," Fellows told WWSB.

What the clerk wants residents to know

Karen E. Rushing, Sarasota County Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller, said scammers rely on fear and urgency to keep people from questioning the call.

"They're very cunning in the beginning as though they're your friend and the next thing you know, you owe them money," Rushing said.

Rushing said scammers can spoof a law enforcement agency's phone number so the call appears legitimate on caller ID. She recommended that anyone who receives a suspicious call hang up and contact the agency directly using an official phone number.

Neither the Clerk's Office nor the Sheriff's Office will demand money over the phone to clear a warrant, Rushing said.

"We won't be asking you for money at the clerk's office, the sheriff's not going to be asking you for money."