Jury Duty Scam Alert In Seal Beach

SEAL BEACH, CA — A scam is affecting Seal Beach residents, and the police want you to know about it, and what's more, how to handle it. In the scam, a caller insists that they are law enforcement and that you have a bail or fine you must pay to prevent arrest.

According to Seal Beach Police, the reasons for the warrant vary. Most recently, callers say they are imposing a fine because their victim supposedly did not report for jury duty.

"They most often 'spoof' the caller ID number to show the number or name of a local law enforcement agency," a spokesperson for the department reported. "As with the other scams, the suspects instruct you to obtain a prepaid credit card and give them the card number from the front of the card and the code from the back of the card."

Here are the facts related to this scam:

• Law Enforcement Agencies will never demand payment for a warrant over the telephone.
• Payments related to warrants are handled through the Court that issued the warrant.
• You will never be restricted to one form of payment.
• If you provide the numbers for the prepaid credit card then the person can access the funds anywhere in the world.

What you can do to combat this scam:

• Don’t call them back, or hang up the phone if you are talking to them
• Call the Seal Beach Police Department at 562-799-4100 to determine if an SBPD employee is actually calling you and to file a report.
• Contact the Court Directly to inquire about bail or fine payment.