Sheriff warns of jury duty scam – Trentonian

Mercer County residents are being warned of a new wave of phone scams. Sheriff Jack Kemler reports that individuals posing as sheriff's officers have been calling residents with false claims about missing jury duty.

Scammers tell residents that they failed to show up for jury duty and that law enforcement will arrive with an arrest warrant. They then attempt to obtain or verify the resident’s home address. Some recipients have recognized the suspicious nature of these calls and have refused to provide information.

The calls appear to come from a 609 area code and appear to be from a legitimate law enforcement agency. However, they are difficult to trace due to digital masking or out-of-state phone banks.

“While the fictitious calls are still under investigation, the community must be vigilant,” Kemler said in a news release.

Residents who suspect a fraudulent call should hang up without providing personal information and report it to the Mercer County Sheriff's Office at 609-989-6111.

“It is important to remember that the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office or court officials will never ask for confidential or personally identifying information over the phone,” Kemler said. “We adhere to this strict policy and any deviation from it should be treated as a potential scam.”