Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office Warns Public About Jury Duty Phone Scam

The Norfolk County Sheriff's Office issued a warning on Tuesday, May 6, about a scam that cost a Bourne resident more than $68,000.

Sheriff Patrick McDermott cautioned residents about fraudulent phone calls from individuals claiming to be law enforcement officers in what's being called a “jury duty scam.”

According to police officials, the victim of the scam contacted the Norfolk County Sheriff's Office on Friday, May 2, to report the fraud. He explained that on Monday, April 28, he received multiple calls from two individuals claiming to be sheriff's deputies. The men told him he faced a “contempt of court order” because he failed to appear for jury duty.

Scammers told the victim that he would be arrested if he did not pay a fine of $68,700. The victim said he transferred the funds at a local convenience store. He later contacted Bourne police and filed a report.

According to information provided by the sheriff's office to Boston 25 News, the scammers gave the victim several fraudulent documents. These documents included a fake “mobile escort order” requesting a “verbal sobriety statement” from “U.S. District Court, Inc.” Police officials said this entity had an address that they traced to a residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., rather than a federal office. 

Another document claimed that court and processing fees would be waived if the victim paid a $30,000 bail. One document mentioned a former U.S. Treasurer but misspelled the word “Treasurer” in the document.

“Please, just hang up on people who make these claims,” Sheriff McDermott said in a statement shared with Boston 25 News. “No one from our office, or any legitimate law enforcement agency, makes these kinds of calls. This is a scam.”

Learn more about jury duty scams and find out how to report a scam.