Will County sheriff warns of phone scammers about jury duty, court dates

Will County — The Will County Sheriff’s Office issued a warning to residents on its Facebook page to beware of scammers impersonating police officers and county courthouse employees.

According to the statement, residents have reported receiving phone calls from “someone pretending to be an officer of the court or an actual named deputy from the sheriff’s office.” These callers then tell residents that they missed jury duty or a court date and will be held in contempt unless they pay a fine.

“Be advised, the sheriff’s office officers, jury duty staff, judges, nor employees from the courthouse who deal with court appearances will never call you and pressure you to pay a fine,” the sheriff’s office wrote.

The office also warned that the scammers will talk fast and push residents to “act swiftly sending them money.”

The phone number being used for these scams is 815-727-8529 and shows up on caller ID as “Will County Public Service.” Residents who receive these calls are advised to immediately hang up the phone and report the incident.

The courthouse of the 12th Circuit Court of Will County is aware of the scam calls and was involved with drawing police attention to the matter, according to the sheriff’s office.