Bannock County officials warn residents of jury duty phone scam

POCATELLO — The Bannock County Clerk’s office is warning county residents of a phone scam in which a caller identifies themself as a county employee.

The caller, claiming residents have missed a court date or jury duty, requests a credit card payment over the phone, according to a news release from the county.

“Part of the ruse involves the threat of arrest or more criminal charges and consequences,” according to the release. “Bannock County will never initiate a call for a payment or credit card information over the phone to satisfy a judgment, warrant, fine, jury duty or other court issue.”

All fees and fines ordered through the court are taken in person at the Bannock County Courthouse.

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Anyone who has fallen victim to this or other similar scams is asked to contact their local law enforcement agency immediately and to file a claim through the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center — here.

County employees do, on occasion, contact residents regarding, among other things, fines and jury duty, but will not ask for payments to be made over the phone.

“If you are unsure the person contacting you is a legitimate county official, you can always contact your local public safety dispatch or court offices to verify,” the release says. “This type of crime is among the wide variety of calls, texts, email and social media scams regularly hitting our area. Be suspicious of strange messages asking you to click links or open websites you are unfamiliar with.”