Linn County Sheriff Bruce Riley reports that on March 8, 2017, the Linn County Sheriff’s Office received several reports of a similar scam. The scam involves a male portraying himself as being either a deputy or detective with the Linn County Sheriff’s Office. The suspect then advises the potential victim that they had missed Jury Duty and solicits funds in order to not be arrested for missing Jury Duty. Unfortunately some citizens follow through with the caller’s instructions and lose a significant amount of money by falling victim to this scam.
The Sheriff’s Office wants the public to know this is a scam, and they should never send someone money without verifying the information they are being provided first. It is not common practice for the Linn County Sheriff’s Office to call citizens to advise them they have a warrant. In most cases, a citizen with a warrant will be contacted in person, and the Deputy will have proper credentials when serving the warrant. A Deputy will never accept any form of money in lieu of taking someone to jail.
Anyone receiving phone calls similar to this in nature is asked to contact the Linn County Sheriff’s Office at (541) 967-3950. This scam is currently being investigated.