Cedar Hill police are sounding the alarm after a brazen jury duty scam hit residents yesterday, with callers pretending to be law enforcement or court officials and demanding on-the-spot payments to avoid arrest.
According to police, the scammers insisted targets stay on the line, then pushed them to hand over money or payment information under threat of being taken into custody. Residents are being urged to treat any surprise call about jury duty with serious skepticism and to verify claims only through official city contacts.
In one reported incident detailed in a Facebook post from the Cedar Hill Police Department, a caller identifying himself as “Officer Smith” told a resident they owed exactly $1,012 for missing jury duty. The scammer gave the correct address for the municipal court, instructed the resident to drive there, and said payment would be handled by someone named “Rachel.” To sweeten the pitch and lower suspicion, the caller even promised a $500 reimbursement after payment was made…