DOJ warns of new scam involving jury duty summons

As if there aren't enough spam phone calls, the U.S. Department of Justice is now warning the public about a new scam. It happens like this: The caller spoofs a law enforcement number and tells the victim that they were summoned for jury duty and failed to appear, and now they owe a sizable fine that must be paid immediately or they will be arrested.

A case with that scam, including allegations of a victim in Sarasota, was recently disclosed by the United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida in Tampa. Prosecutors there indicted Anthony Sanders and Marlita Andrews, both age 28 from Georgia, on a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which faces a maximum of 20 years in prison if convicted. U.S. Attorney for the Middle District Roger Handberg announced the charges at a Wednesday press conference. 

Authorities allege Sanders, an inmate in a Georgia prison, conspired with his girlfriend, Andrews, to have her pose as a deputy from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office over a phone call to a victim, convincing her that she missed a jury duty summons and to send approximately $12,000 to a phony "bonding transition center" via a Bitcoin ATM under threat of arrest. 

Andrews kept the victim, a licensed nurse in her 30s living in Sarasota, on the phone until the transaction was complete, officials contend. 

This scam is not the first of its kind. Last year in Sarasota County alone, law enforcement received 30 similar reports with victim losses exceeding $150,000, officials say. 

“These scammers often know personal information about their victims, home addresses, dates of birth, which they use to try to make their efforts appear to be legitimate, but they are not," Handberg says, noting Florida’s open records law. "While these scammers work to appear convincing, they are nothing more than common thieves stealing from innocent people. When these scammers are successful, unfortunately, they can obtain thousands of dollars from their victims.”

Handburg stresses education is vital to prevent others from becoming victimized. He encourages people to resist the false sense of urgency implied by the scammers, hang up immediately and report the call to the FBI and local law enforcement.