TYLER, Texas (EAST TEXAS NEWS) – The Smith County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about an ongoing scam targeting East Texans with fake arrest warrants for not meeting their jury duty obligations.
The scammers call residents and threaten them with arrest warrants, claiming they did not appear for their federal jury duty and that they must pay a settlement to resolve the matter, according to the sheriff’s office.
Sgt. Larry Christian, the public information officer for the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, said the scammers are using technology to spoof the numbers of real officers, including his own.
“With the technology available today, they can spoof our number, and each time they call, it will appear as a legitimate sheriff’s office number,” Christian stated.
Christi Thurman received one of these calls on Tuesday morning. The person on the line, claiming to be “Sgt. Larry Christian of the Smith County Sheriff’s Office,” told her she had not shown up for her federal jury duty and that there was an arrest warrant issued in her name.
“It is very important that we speak with you,” the spammer said in the recording of the call.
The caller appeared to know Thurman’s personal information, including her current and former addresses. The call was so convincing that Thurman sought guidance from her attorney.
“To me, he knew too much,” Thurman said.
The caller told Thurman that she needed to appear before the federal court in Tyler or pay a fine at a kiosk inside a store. The person explained that the kiosk was located in the federal building but that it accepted only cash, not credit or debit cards.
The scammer said two agents would meet her at the federal courthouse because she supposedly held a federal arrest warrant.
“He was giving names and addresses; it felt very real to me: at any moment something like this could happen, so trust your instincts and reach out to someone you know to verify the information or call the place you’re being told to go,” Thurman said. “Who would meet me there? Which two men would accompany me? Where would they take me? What could have happened to me today?”
Thurman became suspicious and began asking questions. When she inquired about who the sheriff was, the caller replied, “Larry Smith.” When she asked who the previous sheriff was, the caller claimed there had never been one.
Her attorney and the real Larry Christian later confirmed that the call was fake.
“No law enforcement agency will ever call you to tell you that you have an arrest warrant and that you must pay money for it to be executed,” Christian said.
Some East Texas residents have also received arrest warrants via email. Authorities will never ask residents to pay fines at a kiosk or in cryptocurrency.
If you receive a similar call, contact your local law enforcement agency.
