FRANKLIN COUNTY — A woman narrowly avoided falling victim to a jury duty scam involving impersonators claiming to be sheriff’s deputies in Ohio, according to our media partner, WBNS-10 TV.
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Erika Karl, a Powell resident, shared her experience of receiving multiple calls from a blocked number, where the caller falsely identified himself as a Franklin County sheriff’s deputy.
WBNS-10 reported that the caller claimed she had missed jury duty, putting her in contempt of court.
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“Immediately, I said, ‘Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry I did not receive this summons. What can I do to correct this?’” Karl said.
The caller instructed Karl to visit the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office to sign paperwork to be re-entered into the jury duty pool, which checked out when she looked it up online.
Karl grew suspicious when the caller imposed a gag order and insisted she remain on the phone during her drive to the sheriff’s office, claiming she was a flight risk, WBNS-10 reported.
She eventually decided to hang up and later confirmed with the actual Franklin County Sheriff’s Office that the call was a scam.
The sheriff’s office told Karl they had received 200-300 similar calls daily, WBNS-10 reported.
Karl shared her experience on social media, where she received overwhelming responses from others who had similar encounters.
The Franklin County Court of Common Pleas has reported an increase in jury duty scams and said residents will not be contacted demanding payment for failing to report for jury duty, according to WBNS-10.
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