The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office is reminding residents about a telephone scam in which a caller contacts them claiming there is a warrant for their arrest because they missed jury duty. This scam has taken a number of different forms in recent years, including requests for money to pay a fine by people representing themselves as a member of the sheriff’s office. Both the sheriff’s office and the Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller for Sarasota County, which issues jury summons, want citizens to know that employees never make requests of jurors for payment of fines over the telephone and do not request personal financial information. Before acting on an unsolicited phone call regarding jury service, contact the Clerk’s Office to confirm any such claims and whether jury duty was missed.
