Police once again are warning Johnson County residents about phone scams telling residents they owe money after missing jury duty.
At 4 p.m. Tuesday, a Greenwood man received a call from someone posing as a Johnson County Sheriff’s Office deputy, telling the man he had a warrant and demanding he pay $900 because he missed jury duty, according to a report from the sheriff’s office.
The resident told the caller he couldn’t pay any more than $100 and that he would not give out his bank account information, so the caller told him to go to the sheriff’s office to pay the fine. The man went to the sheriff’s office and found out he did not have a warrant, according to the report.
Shortly before 8 p.m., a Greenwood woman received a similar call and was told she had a warrant for not returning jury duty paperwork, according to the report.
The woman was told to go to a Greenwood grocery store, put $990 on a rechargeable debit card and turn herself in at the Johnson County jail. The woman got the card but called and canceled it soon after, before the money was withdrawn. She went to the sheriff’s office and found out she did not have a warrant, according to the report.
When someone misses jury duty, it’s not uncommon for the judge to ask police to pick the person up and bring them to court to explain why they weren’t present, Sheriff Doug Cox said.
But police will never ask for money and would not call someone to tell them they have a warrant before picking them up, he said.
