The Charles County Sheriff's Office is warning the public of a new identity theft scam in which scammers make phone calls posing as an officer or court employee to obtain personal information.
The scammers tell the victim they are an officer or employee calling from the local Court or law enforcement agency and a bench warrant has been issued for the victim's arrest for failing to appear for jury duty. Generally, the victims are shocked and reply they never received jury duty notification. The scammers reassure the victim of the possibility that this is all a mistake and the issue can be resolved over the phone. The scammers request the victim's full name, address, date of birth and social security number. Some of the scammers have also obtained checking and savings account information as well.
The Court relays information about jury duty through mailed correspondence, not via telephone. If a warrant is issued for someone who fails to appear for jury duty, the Charles County Sheriff's Office will not call that person to inform them of the warrant.
There have been no reports of this scam occurring in Charles County, but the Sheriff's Office wants to know if someone becomes a target of the scam. Call the Sheriff's Office at 301-932-2222 in La Plata, 301-743-2222 in Indian Head or 301-932-7777 in Waldorf and be sure to retain any caller identification records.