Scammers posing as Wayne County sheriff’s deputies are calling residents across the county and metro Detroit, demanding money for missed jury duty.

The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office published an alert Oct. 26. The agency said residents across Wayne County and metro Detroit have reported the calls. Northville Township is in Wayne County. The alert does not identify cases specifically in Northville or Novi.

The office said deputies do not call residents about missed jury duty or demand payment by phone to avoid arrest.

The office also issued a separate bond scam alert warning families about callers who claim a loved one has been arrested and needs immediate bail money.

How the jury duty scam works

Callers tell residents they missed jury duty, that a warrant has been issued for their arrest, and that the only way to clear it is to pay right away, according to the sheriff’s alert. Some callers use the names of real deputies. Caller ID may be “spoofed” to look like a government number.

Scammers may text fake documents such as an “arrest warrant” or “confidentiality order.” They tell victims to stay on the phone and avoid contacting family, an attorney or the sheriff’s office. Calls can last 30 minutes or more, the office said.

Payment is demanded through cryptocurrency kiosks, gift cards, payment apps or wire transfers.

A newer twist: driving victims from place to place

The sheriff’s office described a newer tactic in which scammers keep victims on the phone while directing them from one location to another. Victims have been sent to a bank and then to a gas station or liquor store with a cryptocurrency machine.

The caller may ask for a car’s odometer reading and promise to “reimburse your mileage,” or send a flyer showing a deputy standing beside a kiosk, according to the alert. The office said these tactics distract victims and lend credibility to the demands.

The office advised residents not to dismiss fraud warnings displayed on cryptocurrency machines, even if a caller insists the transaction is legitimate.

Bond scam also targeting families

In the companion alert, the sheriff’s office warned that scammers are calling families and pretending to be deputies, jail staff, attorneys or bail bond agents. The caller claims a family member has been arrested and will stay in jail unless a bond is paid immediately with cryptocurrency, gift cards, a payment app or a wire transfer.

The office warned that scammers sometimes put someone on the phone who is crying or hard to understand and claim that person is a family member. Some use recordings or AI-generated voices to imitate people the victim knows.

What the sheriff’s office says to do

The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office said it will never call or text about missed jury duty, ask anyone to pay a fine or bond over the phone, request cryptocurrency or gift cards, or tell a caller to keep the conversation secret.

Residents who get one of these calls should hang up and verify any jury summons by contacting the court directly using the number on an official paper summons or the court’s website.

Anyone who already sent money should contact their bank immediately and file a report with their local police department. Reports can also be filed with the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.