A Houston woman fell victim to a sophisticated jury duty scam, losing thousands of dollars after scammers posed as deputies and directed her to make cryptocurrency payments. The fraud involved falsified federal documents and a fake federal bonds location. Authorities warn that legitimate court officials never demand payments over the phone.
In a chilling example of evolving scam tactics, a Houston woman received a phone call from someone claiming to be a deputy, alerting her to arrest warrants for missing federal jury duty. The caller knew her full name, adding credibility to the threat. "They started with my full name," the victim recalled. "They said, ‘I’m a deputy, I’m calling regarding some warrants out for your arrest.’"
The scammers escalated by emailing official-looking arrest warrants that included her full name and even her parents' address. "I saw the documents and I looked them over and it looked legit," she said. "They had like a postal service document that had a signature."
Unlike traditional scams seeking gift cards or bank details, these fraudsters instructed her to pay in cryptocurrency at a downtown location advertised as a 'federal bonds location.' It turned out to be a storefront equipped with crypto ATMs, surrounded by overlooked red flags like CBD advertisements. "I feel so silly now, but it seemed so legit then," the victim admitted.
The Harris County District Clerk stresses that real court officials never call to impose penalties and urges reporting such calls to law enforcement immediately. The Federal Trade Commission's reporting system is currently down due to the government shutdown. The victim's advice is clear: "180 out of the building. 180. End the call, don’t do anything with it."
Law enforcement recommends never responding to jury duty penalty calls, avoiding cryptocurrency payment demands, reporting suspicions locally, and verifying communications through official channels. This incident underscores broader trends, with Americans receiving over six billion scam calls last year, as fraudsters blend phone cons with digital currencies.