Recently, incidents of phony phone calls have been on the rise, especially those of scammers pretending to be from your local Sheriff’s office indicating you have missed jury duty or have a warrant for your arrest.
The scammer may state that the Chief Judge of Polk County has issued a warrant for your arrest, and you must pay (cash, gift card or wire transfer) to avoid being arrested.
This is a SCAM! Officials will never call you regarding a warrant for your arrest, nor will they call you indicating a fee for missing jury duty.
If you do find yourself receiving a call that pressures you to act quickly on a warrant or failed jury duty appearance, HANG UP!
Be wary of scammers using the following tactics to spook you into giving money away:
- Scammer requests an unusual payment request (i.e., wire transfer, gift card, cryptocurrency).
- Scammers pretends to be a person of authority, like a police officer or government official.
- Scammer will pressure you into acting fast, which leaves less time for you to realize it is a scam.
- Scammer will tell you to not tell anyone.
- Scammer will play on your emotions, especially those of panic and fear.
If you do find yourself a victim of a scam, don’t be afraid to reach out for help. Call Aging Resources at 515-255-1310 and ask to speak to an Elder Rights Specialist for further information on scams and who to reach out to for help.
