HOUSTON — A Houston woman lost thousands of dollars to scammers who used a sophisticated new twist on the classic jury duty scam, complete with falsified federal documents and a cryptocurrency payment system.
The victim, who requested anonymity, received what appeared to be a legitimate call from someone claiming to be a deputy, warning him of arrest warrants for failure to perform federal jury duty.
“They started with my full name,” the victim recalled. “They said, ‘I’m a deputy, I’m calling about warrants out for your arrest.'”
What made this scam particularly convincing was the level of personal information the fraudsters had.
They emailed official-looking arrest warrants containing the victim’s full name and even her parents’ addresses.
“I saw the documents and looked at them and it looked legitimate,” she said. “They had like a postal service document that had a signature on it.”
Sophisticated tactics
Unlike traditional scams that ask for gift cards or banking information, these fraudsters asked the victim to make cryptocurrency payments at a specific downtown location.
The location, billed as a “federal bond location,” was actually a storefront with cryptocurrency ATMs.
“I feel so stupid now, but it seemed so legit at the time,” the victim said, noting that she only later noticed red flags like the CBD ads in the window.
Warning signs
The Harris County District Clerk emphasizes that legitimate court officials never call citizens to impose penalties. They advise anyone receiving such calls to report them immediately to law enforcement.
Although the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) typically handles such scam reports, its reporting system is currently unavailable due to the government shutdown.
How to protect yourself
The victim’s advice to others is emphatic: “180 out of the building. 180. End the call, don’t do anything about it.”
Law enforcement officials recommend:
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Never answer phone calls regarding sanctions imposed on jury members.
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Don’t trust callers asking for cryptocurrency payments
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Report suspicious calls to local law enforcement
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Check court communications through official channels
Growing threat
This sophisticated version of the jury duty scam comes as Americans faced more than six billion scam calls last year alone, highlighting the evolving tactics of fraudsters who combine traditional phone scams with cryptocurrency technology.
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