Realtors in Ohio’s Lucas County are being targeted by a phone scammer who is calling local realtors pretending to be a sheriff’s office captain and demanding thousands of dollars to avoid being arrested for skipping jury duty.
WVTG reports of at least two cases where realtors were contacted by someone claiming to be Captain Jason Crawford of the Lucas County Sheriff’s Department Warrants and Citations Division. The caller insisted the realtors missed jury duty and had to make payments to avoid being arrested.
In one case, the caller demanded two checks, one for $1,300 and another for $1,600. The caller initially demanded the payments be brought to the sheriff’s office while the realtor remained on the phone with him. After the realtor balked at the request, the caller then insisted the funds be deposited at a local Walgreens or CVS. The realtor did not make the payments.
Another realtor said she received a similar call while showing houses, adding one of her clients fell for the scam.
“Wanting me to go and get money from my banking institution, while he stayed on the phone with me, was a huge red flag,” the realtor said.
The Lucas County Clerk’s Office issued a statement that they never contact citizens regarding missed jury duty and never threaten financial penalties if a jury summons is not answered.
