Jury duty scam resurfacing in King County

SEATTLE -- The King County Sheriff's Office is warning residents of a scam involving jury duty.

The scammer claims to be a King County Sheriff's deputy or detective and tells the victim that they failed to show up for jury duty. The scammer then asks the victim to pay a fine over the phone or face jail time.

Authorities say this is a scam and is not the King County Sheriff's Office.

"The Sheriff’s Office would NEVER call you about a warrant and ask you to pay over the phone," Sergeant Cindi West said in a release. "The scammers are very convincing but, DO NOT FALL FOR IT! Do not pay anyone over the phone for an alleged warrant for failing to report for jury duty."

Sergeant West said they have received several calls from concerned citizens checking on the validity of the calls.

She said the scam has been occurring in the Seattle area over the last couple of years.

If you get a call similar to this one, you are asked to hang up.