There's a scam going around you need to be made aware of. We received an email from Escambia County (Ala.) Circuit Clerk John Robert Fountain last week warning people of the scam.
He sent the email after he had two individuals come to his office last Thursday saying they had received a telephone call about the consequences of missing jury duty.
As Fountain noted, it's not the first time such a scam has been tried, but this one was a little bit different and little more personal.
The phone call comes in telling somebody the caller is an officer of the law and gives a badge number. The caller then tells the person that Fountain has sent out a warrant for their arrest and that Circuit Judge Dave Jordan has issued an arrest warrant from the bench.
The hook is, the caller tells the person they can avoid being arrested if they buy a money order and or a green dot card and send money to a certain bank account or address to take care of the situation.
It's a scam, the court system does not work that way.
“This is absolutely a scam and this is the first time I have heard of them using my name or one of our judge's name,” Fountain said.
First off, the circuit clerk's office nor the judge's office will be giving you a telephone call about missing jury duty. Second, don't ever send money. Repeat, don't ever send money.
If you receive such a telephone call, hang up. If you are still concerned, call Fountain at 251-867-0225, extension 225 and he'll tell you what we are telling you, that it's a scam trying to extort money from you.
We are entering the holiday season and history tells us that scams normally pick up around this time; whether it's a call from someone claiming to be from the IRS or someone who says you've won a bunch of money and to claim it you need to email money to cover the taxes or processing fees. Don't do it, it's a scam.
