Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office warns of phone scams

The Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office is warning of phone scams after a report of a call about missed jury duty.

The Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office received a report Friday from someone who reported they were contacted by a man who claimed to be Capt. Donald Croft from the Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office. The man on the phone said that the person had missed a court date for jury duty and had the person’s address and date of birth. He told the person that there was a $500 fine for each day of missed jury duty. The text also included “alleviation voucher locations” that were at Albertsons, Winco and Rosauers, according to a news release from the Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office.

The man also sent a false document about dismissing federal warrants that included a false email of warrantdissaldivision@fbi.gov. The person told the man that they were going to the sheriff’s office and the man tried to keep them on the phone but was unsuccessful, according to the news release.

The Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office reminds people not to fall for scams as no law enforcement agency will call and ask for money over the phone. Also, a warrant can only be dismissed through an arrest, court appearance or judge’s ruling. Scammers can also clone phone numbers so it will appear the call is coming from law enforcement, according to the news release.

The news release also advised people not to give out personal information over the phone unless “you are absolutely sure of who you are talking to.” If a person received multiple phone and email scams it’s possible there was a data breach at a company and the information was sold on the web. People should check their credit report to look for anything out of the ordinary on a regular basis.