Raleigh residents nearly fall victim to jury duty phone scam

Wake County authorities are warning residents about a phone scam after a Raleigh couple says they received a call from someone attempting to get money from them by claiming that they missed jury duty.

Mark Doggett said Tuesday that he and his wife received a call from a man claiming to be a deputy saying she had missed jury duty and would be arrested if they did not pay a fine.

"It sort of scared my wife because he knew our address, her phone number and her first and last name," Doggett said.

While the couple found the call troubling, they said they noticed reg flags.

"He came back toward the end and said all you need to do is send some money via Paypal, and that's when I knew something was wrong," he said.

Doggett kept a record of the number the called used, but said the number was quickly disconnected.

Anne Alman, of Raleigh, said she received a similar call.

"He just kept going on and on, and was really trying to put the fear in me," she said. "I just said there is something funny about this. I got a feeling I need to check this guy out."

Alman said the caller wanted her to pay $1,500, and if she didn't, there would be a warrant issued for her arrest.

Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison said his agency put out an alert to citizens last week after receiving multiple calls about the scam.

"Get their number if you can and call a law enforcement agency," Harrison recommended. "Law enforcement officers would never ask for money. The courts are the ones that collect the money if someone is fined."

No arrests have been made. The investigation into the scam is ongoing.