CBS - An old scam is making a big comeback nationwide.
Con artists posing as authorities tell people they’re going to be arrested for missing jury duty.
But then the caller offers a payment option.
It’s called the Jury Duty scam – con artists say you’ve missed jury duty and you’re going to be arrested unless you pay up.
“Do not believe the caller,” Monica Vaca with the Federal Trade Commission said.
Vaca said these types of scams are on the rise nationwide.
In many cases the criminals use technology called spoofing to make their number look like it comes from a local court or police department.
Investigators even discovered prisoners in Georgia pulling off the scam from behind bars.
But usually the con artists are hard to catch because they demand untraceable payments like Paypal, wire transfers or prepaid debit cards.
“When they start demanding money from you over the phone, that’s when you know it’s a scam,” Vaca said.
Vaca said police departments and court will never ask for money over the phone.
Authorities say if you receive one of these scam calls, the best thing to do is hang up.
People who’ve received these calls should report it to the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-FTC-HELP.