Police are urging all to beware of a jury duty scheme after a Salina man was scammed out of $1,000.

According to the Salina Police Department, on September 11th a 40-year-old Salinan reported receiving a phone call purporting to be from the “Saline County Sheriff’s Department” spoofing the Sheriff’s Office phone number. The caller advised the subject they had an outstanding warrant for missing jury duty, and they needed to respond to the sheriff’s department to resolve the issue. The caller told them they needed to bring their driver’s license and a document to verify their address.

The caller kept the victim on the phone and told them they could not hang up while they were driving, and they were under a “gag order”. The victim was texted a copy of the warrant. In the warrant it stated the victim was to be brought before a “United States magistrate judge” and was signed by a “Lt. Allen Hashbec and Sgt. Lewis Hall.”

The caller told the victim they should have the payment with them when they arrived at the Sheriff’s department, or they would spend the weekend in jail. The caller then had the victim withdraw $,1000 cash.

Once the victim withdrew the money, the caller stated if they went and deposited the money in a Coinhub ATM located at 2140 W. Crawford they would not need to appear at the Sheriff’s department. Throughout the conversation the victim requested to speak with someone else in the department or call a relative and the caller stated they could not. The victim did deposit the money in the ATM after the caller provided a QR code.

The Salina Police Department reminds everyone that if you receive a call from a law enforcement agency indicating you have a warrant, hang up, look up the agency phone number, and directly contact them and advise that agency about the call you just received. No law enforcement agency will have you send them money electronically. If anyone tells you to go to the bank to withdraw money, send the money electronically, through gift cards, wants you to stay on the phone while obtaining the money, does not want you to speak with anyone while doing it, tells you what to tell people you encounter (i.e., clerks, tellers, family) it is a scam. Hang up the phone and contact your local law enforcement agency.