BCSO warns of phone scams

SANDPOINT — The Bonner County Sheriff’s Office is warning the public about a bogus jury and warrant phone scam that appears to be making the rounds in the community.

The fraudsters are posing as sheriff’s deputies and are threatening to arrest people because of an outstanding civil judgment or warrant for missing jury duty. They will usually tell victims to go to a store and purchase a prepaid credit card, such as a Green Dot card. They are directed to load the card with money and then call a phone number to pass along the card’s information, according to sheriff’s officials.

The sheriff’s office said its deputies would never call and threaten people with arrest due to a civil judgment or missed jury duty. They also would never ask someone to wire or transfer money electronically, which is a sure sign of a scam.

The scammers make calls over the internet and use prepaid “burner” cellphones, which make the calls difficult to trace.

The Better Business Bureau is aware of the scam and advises that people can protect themselves by never giving out any personal information when they receive unsolicited phone calls.

The sheriff’s office is encouraging to report any scams they encounter by calling Bonner Dispatch at 208-265-5525.