A TikTok user recently shared her harrowing experience with a jury duty scam so convincing it nearly cost her $1,200.
The user, who goes by @loveyouxoxoxoxoxo and introduces herself as Johnson in the video, recounted how the ordeal began with a seemingly innocent phone call.
Her story has resonated with over 685,700 viewers, many of whom were shocked by the scam’s complexity.
How did Johnson almost get scammed?
“This will probably be my only TikTok ever,” Johnson begins. “But I want to share this story because I don’t want anyone else to go through this.”
She explains that the call came from a local number, which she assumed was an electrician she’d been waiting for. Instead, it was someone claiming to be from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.
“They told me I’d failed to show up for jury duty yesterday and that there were three misdemeanor charges on my record,” she explains. “They said I had to head to the sheriff’s office immediately but stay on the phone the entire time because of a gag order.”
Johnson says the scammers’ level of preparation made her second-guess her instincts. “I pushed back several times,” she recalls. “I told them, ‘This feels bogus, this feels like a scam,’ but they had an answer for everything.”
The alleged officers kept her on the phone as she drove, claiming that any break in contact would violate the gag order. They then told her to pull over so she could speak with a supposed clerk of courts, who then added another layer of urgency by saying she could avoid jail time by paying bail through a “confidential system.”
“They said it was the same system used for sex offenders because they want their payments to stay anonymous,” Johnson explains. “I was supposed to go to a CVS, use a machine, and pay $1,200. They told me I’d get a receipt, take it to the sheriff’s office, and get my refund.”
But when she arrived at the machine, something didn’t add up. “One of the payment options was Bitcoin,” she says, which served as confirmation this was a scam.
Jury duty scam goes sideways
Johnson finally drove to a police station, keeping the scammer on the phone the entire time.
“I held the phone behind me as I told the receptionist, ‘I’m on the phone with someone claiming to be from the sheriff’s office,” she recounts. “‘Can you check if there are any warrants for me?’”
At that point, the scammer hung up. Reflecting on the experience, Johnson says she was left shaken but grateful she didn’t fall for it.
“I was crying when I told the police officer,” she admits. “But he said, ‘Ma’am, take some deep breaths. If there’s a warrant, we’ll show up at your door. We’re not going to call you and demand payment.’”
Johnson says she’s sharing her story to prevent others from falling victim.
“I pushed back so many times, and they still had answers for everything,” she says. “Their scripts are so well-written. They called me from numbers that looked like the sheriff’s office, and they even told me to Google the number to verify it.”
To conclude the video, she advises, “Trust your instincts. If it feels wrong, it probably is. And if someone’s asking for payment in Bitcoin, just run.”
How popular are jury duty scam calls?
Reports of police officer impersonators targeting individuals for allegedly missing jury duty have surfaced across the country.
For instance, a Reddit user in the r/Scams subreddit recounted receiving a call from a scammer who identified themselves as “Captain David Burns.”
The scammer claimed the user had missed jury duty and even convinced them to get in their car and start driving. The user realized it was a scam when the caller began asking for money.
In the comments under the post, others reported experiencing the same scam, with some noting the same alias used by the caller.
The frequency of these calls has led several state courts, including those in North Carolina, Oregon, and California, to issue public warnings.
Additionally, the official website for United States Courts has cautioned that “People are being targeted by phone call, email, and messaging scams threatening them with prosecution for failing to comply with jury service.”
The site advises recipients of such calls not to provide personal information and to immediately contact their local Clerk of Court’s office. Furthermore, they clarify that federal courts never ask for personal information or money over the phone or via email.
Viewers react
In the comments, some users shared similar stories. Others shared advice on how to deal with the situation.
“I was a victim of this!” shared one user. “So much money lost!”
“Attorney here. clerks of court don’t have time to get on the phone,” wrote another. “They barely answer when you do call so. . .if you miss jury duty you will know it and not thru a phone call.”
“Also: No one goes to jail for skipping jury duty because they cannot prove you received the notice,” stated a third.
@loveyouxoxoxoxoxo Probably my first and last TikTok, but I have to share this story, this was honestly so well done and I know many many people would fall victim to this. I hope you’ll take the time to watch.
♬ original sound – xoxoiloveyou
The Daily Dot has reached out to Johnson via TikTok comments.
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