Scammer Impersonating Hillsborough Deputy, Agency Warns

The old jury duty scam is once again making the rounds in Hillsborough County and this time the would-be scammer is trying to impersonate a deputy.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office issued that warning to residents Wednesday after it received not one, but two calls Tuesday about the scam. It seems someone is calling Hillsborough residents claiming to be “Major Livingston.” When residents answer, the man on the other end of the line informs them an arrest warrant has been issued because of skipped jury duty.

In both cases, the “’Major’ told the citizen they would be arrested; however, they had the option of settling the matter over the phone by paying an undisclosed amount of money,” the sheriff’s office wrote in an email.

When the would-be victims told the “Major” they had no money to send, it seems he told them they would be arrested and then proceeded to hang up on his intended targets.

The jury duty scam is a common one that crops up all over the country and in the Tampa Bay area from time to time. Recent warnings about that scam have been issued in Pinellas and Sarasota counties, as well.

“Please be advised that the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office does not notify individuals over the phone that they have active warrants for their arrest, nor would a representative from the Sheriff’s Office ask for payment
of any kind over the phone,” the sheriff’s office noted. “If you receive any calls similar to this scam, please notify your local law enforcement agency.”

To find out more about commonly run scams, visit the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s website. That agency has dedicated an entire section of its website to the topic and offers tips on how folks can avoid becoming victims.

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