NEW ORLEANS — Your phone rings, you pick it up, and the person on the other line tells you that you’ve missed jury duty. They say if you don’t fork over $1,500 on the spot, you’ll be arrested. What do you do? Hopefully, hang up.
It’s a scam that has been used in the United States for over a decade, but now, District Attorney Jason Williams says people across the area are getting dialed up, and you don’t want to fall for it.
"This scam preys on the fears and vulnerabilities in our community. They're clearly trying to exploit the trust in our criminal justice system for financial gain. It is a reprehensible act," he said.
Williams says the calls are still under investigation, but in the meantime, he's urging the public to exercise caution.
“I want to implore each and everyone to remain aware and skeptical of any calls from unknown sources especially those expecting phone payments outside of an official process to settle a legal matter,” Williams said.
On the North Shore Thursday, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s office posted on Facebook that, no, Sgt. Jon Philly isn’t calling around asking for money, and just five months ago, Sgt. Calvin Kline wasn’t making any new calls either.
The good news is, experts say schemes like these come with warning signs, you just have to know how to spot them.
“They are people that want to scam people out of money,” Cybersecurity expert, Ciso podcast host David Malicoat said. “They use fear, uncertainty, and doubt to do that.”
According to Cybersecurity Expert and Ciso Podcast host David MaliCoat, if a caller is demanding immediate payment, that’s your first red flag.
“Typically government officers are not going call you asking for money or threaten to put you in jail,” Malicoat said.
If a legitimate government agency needs something from you, they’re probably not going to ask for it over the phone.
“If you're getting something from the government, it’s going to come in the mail, or they're going serve you with papers if that’s the worst-case scenario,” Malicoat said.
If you get a suspicious call, hang up and report it to local law enforcement immediately.
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