York County residents are being warned to let certain phone calls go straight to voicemail, especially if the voice on the other end claims to be Captain Jonathan Reed from the sheriff’s office and says you skipped jury duty.
According to the York County Sheriff’s Office, scammers have been ringing up locals, posing as sheriff’s deputies and insisting there are active warrants for missed jury service. One resident told the agency the caller sounded uncannily like the real Captain Reed, and officials say the crooks may be leaning on artificial intelligence to mimic local voices. The sheriff’s office is urging anyone who gets such a call to hang up, refuse to send money or personal details, and confirm their status only through official channels.
In a post on X, the York County Sheriff's Office said the callers have been falsely identifying themselves as deputies, detectives, lieutenants and even the major, then turning up the pressure by claiming the target can avoid arrest for failing to appear for jury duty if they pay up. The post also warns that scammers may be using AI-generated voice technology to make their impersonations sound legit, and stresses that an actual deputy will not request money over the phone. Captain Jonathan Reed, whose name the impersonators have been tossing around, is listed as a captain in the department’s directory, per the York County Sheriff's Office staff directory.
SCAM ALERT - We have received several calls reporting that police impersonators are using the name Captain Jonathan Reed and claiming they have warrants for failure to appear for jury duty.
— York County Sheriff (@YCSO_SC) June 23, 2026
What's different this time is that one person said the voice sounded very similar to… pic.twitter.com/QspJIT9U8m
AI Voice Cloning Is The New Favorite Scam Tool
This kind of high-tech impersonation is not just a York County problem. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center has flagged AI-generated voices as part of a growing national scam trend. In a May 2025 public service announcement, the FBI's IC3 warned that criminals are using synthetic voice messages and text messages to pose as officials and trusted contacts.
The IC3 advisory urges people to be suspicious if a caller tries to push you onto another app, pressures you to send money fast, or refuses to be verified through a phone number or contact method you already know. Instead, the agency says, hang up and reach out directly to the real office or person through a trusted number.
How The Jury Duty Scam Plays Out
Consumer watchdogs say the red flags in these jury duty shakedowns have become pretty familiar. Scammers create a sense of panic, then demand payment through gift cards, cryptocurrency or wire transfer, payment channels that are hard to reverse and easy to hide, according to the Federal Trade Commission. They may even spoof official-looking phone numbers to make it seem as if the call is coming directly from law enforcement or the courts.
Similar jury duty impersonation schemes have already led to arrests in other states. In one 2026 case, investigators tied a South Carolina woman to a fraud that directed victims to feed cash into Bitcoin ATMs as supposed payment for missed jury duty, as reported by WCTV. Local authorities say the pattern is all too recognizable and that scammers often claim to work for a sheriff’s office or a court to make their threats sound official.
What To Do If ‘Captain Reed’ Calls You
Officials say your safest move is simple. If you get a call like this, hang up immediately, do not send money and do not share bank information, Social Security numbers, or any other sensitive details. To double check your jury duty status or any claims about warrants, call your local court or law enforcement office using a number you look up yourself, not one provided by the caller.
If the call feels threatening or you believe you are in immediate danger, dial 9-1-1. Otherwise, note the caller ID, save any related text messages and report the incident to national fraud reporting centers. Keeping a record of the number that called and what the person said can help investigators map out and disrupt the scam.
The York County Sheriff’s Office has boiled down the situation to one key reminder: “A real deputy will not ask for money over the phone.” Residents who receive one of these calls are asked to report it so deputies can investigate. Anyone unsure about a summons or warrant is urged to contact the clerk of court or the sheriff’s office directly through official, published channels rather than responding to an unexpected demand from a stranger on the line.
