ST. LOUIS — A new jury duty scam in St. Louis is using details about the Civil Courts building to trick people into paying money.
A man claiming to be a sheriff is calling people from a St. Louis number. He’s accusing them of skipping jury duty and threatening to hold them in contempt of court if they don't pay.
When jury supervisor Joanne Martin called the scammer’s number, she learned he was using her information to swindle people.
"He said, 'Well I'm sitting in room 318, and Joanne Martin is the one we're doing this for.' Well I'm Joanne Martin, and I'm sitting in 318," she said.
She said nearly 20 people have reported the scam to her office since Tuesday.
She said the scammer knows details about the people he calls, such as their home address or where they work.
He demands people put $900 on three Green Dot, pre-paid debit cards and give him the card numbers over the phone, she said.
When 5 On Your Side called the reported scammer's number, he refused to talk to us unless we paid him.
“If you don't have any money, we're not talking about anything. I don't need to tell my side of the story if you don't have any money,” he said.
Joanne is hoping no one loses their money to him, and she's angry he's using her name to convince people he’s legitimate.
“It really offends me greatly because we try to treat our citizens right,” she said.
She said the court will never call you. They communicate through only through the mail. The jury office will never ask you for money. If that happens, it's a scam.