To: Media

From: Sheriff Tim Chamberlain

Subject: Jury duty scam

The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office has received numerous reports of a phone scam wherein a caller is claiming to be from the court or Sheriff’s Office. The caller claims their records show you didn’t appear for jury duty and you can either pay the fine or get arrested. The caller says payment can be made by phone or wire service.

Stop there and hang up. These calls are fraudulent and do not come from the courts or sheriff’s office. Most contact by court officials is through the mail and any phone contact by real court officials will not include requests for social security numbers, credit card numbers or any other sensitive information.

Anyone receiving such a call should not provide the requested information and notify their local law enforcement agency.