Columbus police warning of jury duty scammers

The Columbus Police Department is warning about a scam that tries to get you to pay money to a fake officer to avoid going to jail for missing jury duty.

The fake officer is calling area residents, threatening that an arrest warrant will be issued because you did not show up for jury duty. They say you could be arrested if you don’t pay a fine immediately. They then try to make the victim go to a store to buy Bitcoin to cover the fine.

Scammers frequently impersonate law enforcement officials over the phone. Authorities warn you not to give out your personal or financial information to a caller. Law enforcement officers will never ask for you to make a payment over the phone to avoid arrest. And no legitimate agency or organization will demand you pay via crypto currency, gift cards, phone apps or a pre-paid debit card.

Columbus police say these forms of payment are commonly used by scammers because they make it harder to trace the money back to them.