The jury duty phone scam has been circulating around the country since at least 2013, according to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Purveyors of the ruse have been trying to get Berks Countians to take the bait again recently.
On Aug. 30, a Pike Township man lost $1,000 to the convincing scheme, state police reported.
There have been myriad phone scams in which the caller tries to get the victim to give them bank account information, wire money or even purchase gift cards and read off the numbers to them during a subsequent call. Some include the scammer claiming the person owes the IRS money or the recipient is asked to pay a fine for failing to show for a hearing or expenses for a relative in jail.
In 2021, Berks County detectives charged five men from New York in the “grandparent” phone scam in which more than $130,000 was collected in Reading from duped victims. The victims thought they were paying bail for a grandchild.
Berks juror scam
The scams are getting more localized.
An example from an Aug. 19 attempt: A caller asks to confirm the name of the person who answers and then proceeds to say that he, Sgt. Elliott Brooks from the Berks County sheriff’s office, is calling to inform you that you missed a U.S. District Court jury summons and there is a warrant out for your arrest.
If you say you never received a notice, he will say there is an affidavit signed by you that you received the summons. He will ask if you have been having problems with your mail. If you further protest, he will say it is possible someone forged your name, but you are a wanted person and that you will need to turn yourself in at 63 Court St. in Reading. (That address does not exist, but it sounds close enough to the actual Berks County Services Center address at 633 Court St.)
He’ll also give a long case reference number and say you can contest your signature by visiting the Berks County Clerk of Courts Office on the fifth floor of the Berks County courthouse. (The clerk’s office is actually on the fourth floor.)
Asking to come in the next day to clear things up, the scammer then says he will have to pass you on to his captain. When the “captain” gets on the line, he says you can bypass the normal booking process if you pay a fine over the phone.
At this point, the target hangs up.
Reporting attempts
Jonathan Heintzman, Berks public information officer, said scam attempts can be reported to the district attorney’s office via email to DA@countyofberks.com and state or local police should be contacted if a crime has been committed.
If someone over the age of 60 is the target of the scam, the Berks County Area Agency on Aging can be contacted at 610-478-6500 with questions, Heintzman said, but that office would ultimately need to forward the information to the district attorney.
Reports can be made to the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Bureau of Consumer Protection at 800-441-2555 or online via a form at bit.ly/PAScamReportForm.
Source: Berkshire mont
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