NEW ORLEANS — Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams held a press conference on Thursday to warn residents of a jury summons scam targeting locals.
According to Williams, unknown sources have been making fraudulent calls to residents falsely claiming failure to respond to a jury summons. The scammers then offer to resolve the problem by charging the victim's credit card over the phone and threatening arrest if that payment is not made promptly.
"I was personally alerted to this scam very recently when an acquaintance of mine reached out to me in distress after receiving one of these deceitful phone calls," Williams explained. "concerned by the gravity of the situation, I took it upon myself to call the number that she had gotten and to investigate further."
Using an assumed name, Williams asked the caller if he had missed jury service and said he was taken aback when the "fraudster" confirmed he had and demanded a $1,500 credit card payment over the phone to avoid arrest.
Williams urges the community to remain hyper-vigilant about this and other scams targeting vulnerable individuals.
"This game preys on the fears and vulnerabilities of our citizens," he said. "It is clearly trying to exploit the trust in our criminal justice system for financial gain. It is a reprehensible act. And we and we are dealing with it following my confirmation of this issue."
Williams also reminded residents that legitimate government agencies will never demand immediate payment over the phone and threatened arrest if payments are not made.
The DA asked victims to not engage with scammers and to immediately contact local law enforcement authorities or his office if targeted.
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