We have received reports of individuals being contacted by phone, text message, and email claiming they missed jury duty and are now facing a failure-to-appear or contempt-of-court charge. In some cases, the messages falsely claim to be from the New Castle County Sheriff’s Office and include fraudulent documents, sometimes containing QR codes, intended to pressure victims into sending money. We have attached examples of some of the fake documents that victims have received.
As with many scams, the objective is financial gain. Victims are often urged to act immediately to “resolve the issue,” and scammers now request payment in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies.
Please remember law enforcement and court officials will never demand payment over the phone, via text message, email, or through cryptocurrency. When in doubt, call your local police to verify. If you receive a call or message like this, do not engage and report it to your local police agency…