By Shavonne Walker

shavonne.walker@salisburypost.com

Rowan County sheriff’s officials say if you miss jury duty, you’ll never get a call from a deputy and definitely won’t be asked to pay a fine.

A scam artist reported by the Sheriff’s Office and the N.C. Department of Justice would have you believe otherwise.

The caller says he is James Mashall (Marshall) with the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office. He tells the person being called that he or she failed to appear for jury duty. He says that a bond has been set and the person must pay a fine using a pre-paid money card, a money voucher or money order. The caller insists that the person stay on the line until the transaction is complete.

“We’ve had at least two reports,” said Capt. John Sifford of the Sheriff’s Office. “No one that we know of has been victimized and lost money.”

The state Department of Justice noted earlier this month that it had received dozens of reports about a similar jury duty scam this year and that six people have fallen victim to it. The victims reported losses of about $1,000 each.

Each victim was instructed to use Green Dot Money Pak cards as their payment method. The prepaid debit cards and gift cards such as iTunes cards have become scammers’ preferred way of getting their hands on a victim’s money.

Sifford said it’s important that the public be aware of this latest scam.

“We would never call someone to tell them to pay a fine with a pre-paid card or voucher. If they did get a call from a deputy, we would have them come in or go to the magistrate’s office,” Sifford said.

The two Rowan incidents are under investigation. The Sheriff’s Office is working with the telephone company to find out where the calls originate but it’s likely the caller is from out of the country, officials said.

Victims are reminded to protect themselves by knowing these facts and taking these steps:

• Real notices for jury duty arrive by mail.

• Legitimate public officials won’t call to threaten you with arrest if you don’t show up for jury duty or fail to pay a fine immediately.

• Hang up on scammers and other crooks who try to trick you out of money.

• If someone tries to get you to use a prepaid debit card or gift card to pay money they say you owe them, you are almost certainly being scammed.

Anyone who believes he has been a victim of the jury duty scam should call the N.C. Attorney General’s Office at 877-566-7226  or the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office at 704-216-8700.

Contact reporter Shavonne Walker at 704-797-4253.