Franklin Co. Sheriff Warns Community Of Jury Scam

Sheriff Pat Melton said that someone had been calling people and telling victims that they had missed jury duty.

Melton said the scammer told the victims that they needed to pay close to $1,000 in money vouchers to avoid being arrested.

But the sheriff said that it was all a hoax.

"The significant part about it is the courts don’t work like that. If you miss it, there’s a system. If you ever have a person that calls or comes to your door saying you missed something, and asks for money, for you to pay it or do something, that’s not right. That’s a scam," said Melton.

He said the caller had claimed to be ‘Lieutenant Paul Gamble’ with the sheriff’s office.

But there was no such person.

Melton said that many of the intended victims were senior citizens, who were worried about being arrested.

The Sheriff’s Office asked that anyone who was contacted by the scam artist report it to dispatch at 502-875-8582.