Jury Duty Phone Scam in Park County

If you get a call saying you’ve missed Jury Duty, be warned – it’s a scam.
Sheriff Scott Steward is warning residents that a fraudulent caller representing himself as a deputy from the Park County Sheriff’s Office is making phone calls stating that they have missed an assigned jury duty and that they must report to the sheriff’s office to sign an affidavit for Judge Cranfill.
The caller may also demand that the victim send money in the form of gift cards to avoid arrest. In one instance, the caller identified himself as “Deputy Rob Cooke.” And a call back to the suspect’s caller ID number resulted in a male answering that they’ve reached the sheriff’s office.
While Sheriff Steward says there is a deputy named Rob Cooke, in no way do deputies get involved with jury duty summons. He says that if a resident fails to respond to or ignores a jury duty summons, the court will issue a bench warrant for that person’s arrest – but will not make advanced notification prior to issuing the bench warrant. And he says the court absolutely does not ask for payments in advance to avoid arrest.
If you receive a call regarding jury duty that you feel may be a scam, attempt to get as much information as possible from the caller including the caller ID number and report it to the sheriff’s dispatch at 307-527-8700. Above all, do not send any money or give the caller any personal information. Simply tell them that you will deal directly with the court.