Jefferson County warns of jury duty scam

Jefferson County officials say a man pretending to be a sheriff’s employee is telling people they missed jury duty and need to pay a fine.

The sheriff’s office says the man identifies himself as “Major Tom Wilson” when he calls. He tells people they’ll be arrested unless they buy a reloadable debit card with $1,000 and give him the card’s numbers to access the cash.

More than 10 people reported the scam last month. Last week, officials say one of the victims was pulled over while driving and talking on the phone with the scammer. During the stop, a sheriff’s deputy spoke with the scammer, who told the deputy he would be disciplined if he didn’t allow the driver continue to the store.

The sheriff’s office never calls residents asking for payments.