If your phone rings and a serious voice says you skipped jury duty and now owe big money, Marion County deputies want you to hang up before your wallet gets involved.
The Sheriff's Office says scammers are calling residents, pretending to be deputies and insisting the person on the line missed jury duty or has a warrant, then leaning hard on them to pay fake fines. The callers push for untraceable payments like Bitcoin or prepaid gift cards and sometimes use spoofed phone numbers or the names of actual deputies to sound official. Officials stress that the Marion County Sheriff's Office does not call to demand money and will not ask anyone to meet at gas stations or parking lots to hand over cash.
What Deputies Are Saying
According to the Marion County Sheriff's Office, scammers can make their calls look legitimate by spoofing caller ID and dropping the names of real employees. The agency notes that staff "will never ask" for payment over the phone. The post also emphasizes that deputies do not arrange to meet people at gas stations, kiosks or parking lots to collect money.
How The Scam Works
The basic playbook is fear and urgency. Scammers tell the person they missed a jury summons or have an outstanding warrant, then push them to pay immediately using cryptocurrency, gift cards or other hard-to-trace methods.
The Oregon Judicial Department warns that courts do not demand sensitive information or payment by phone and that juror notices are sent by mail, not collected in a surprise call. Local sheriff's offices across the state have issued similar alerts in recent months, pointing to a regional rise in jury-duty and warrant impostor schemes, according to KTVZ.
What To Do If You Get The Call
If a caller claims to be law enforcement and demands payment, hang up. Do not share personal or financial information, and do not call back a number the person gives you.
To double-check any claim, residents can call Marion County non-emergency dispatch at 503-588-5032 instead, using the contact information listed on the Marion County Sheriff's Office website. Scams can also be reported to the Oregon Department of Justice's consumer protection office or to the Federal Trade Commission.
These impostor operations are fast and convincing, so if something feels off, trust your gut, hang up and call a trusted number. Keeping relatives, especially older family members, in the loop about these tactics is one of the simplest ways to keep money out of scammers' hands.
