Kane County residents warned not to take the bait amid wave of phishing scams

Kane County residents should be weary of a popular phishing scam in which victims receive phone calls notifying them of a missed jury duty summons.

Due to a recent wave of schemes in which scammers claim to be with the Sheriff’s Office or a Kane County Court Official, the Sheriff’s Office and the Kane County State’s Attorney issued a public warnings of the “Jury Duty Scam” in a recent statement.

In the scam victims may be told there’s a warrant out for their arrest and the only way to cancel it is to pay a fine. If they refuse, they may be threatened with jail.

Scammers may volunteer a sheriffs badge number and case number, and ask for personal information like your Social Security number or date of birth.

The Kane County Sheriff’s Office warned that some scammers even have the ability to disguise their phone number, making it appear as the Sheriff’s Office’s number.

Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser said her office is committed to holding scammers accountable.

“Anyone caught engaging in this type of criminal behavior will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Mosser said in the statement. “My office will continue work with Kane County Sheriff’s Office to spread awareness and prevent more individuals from falling victim to these crimes.”

The Sheriff’s Office provided these tips to help spot a scam and avoid falling victim:

• The Sheriff’s Office will never call anyone and ask for money to avoid jail.
• Scammers often insist that you can only pay with gift cards, payment app, crypto currency, wire transfer, or even cash mailed in an envelope.
• Courts never ask for sensitive personal information over the phone. Social Security numbers never have to be disclosed over the phone.

Those who receive these calls should hang up immediately and contact the Kane County Sheriff’s Office directly at 630-232-6840. No payment or personal information should be provided over the phone.