Jury Duty Scam Makes Western Springs Man Poorer

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL – A 63-year-old Western Springs man is out a lot of money after a jury duty scam earlier this month, local police said.

Patch obtained the police report through a public records request.

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Earlier this month, the man, who lives in the 3800 block of Hampton Avenue, received emails and phone calls from a scammer claiming to be with the U.S Marshals Service, police said.

The scammer claimed the resident missed jury duty and was subject to federal prosecution.

The scammer's emails laid out a script for him to follow, which involved withdrawing cash from his Chase checking account, police said.

The resident was then instructed to load the money into a bitcoin machine. That money was to be placed on a Bank of America card, then put on his iPhone's Apple Wallet by strangers, police said.

During the process, the resident made several transactions totaling $35,700, according to the report.

In a phone call, the scammer instructed the resident to delete certain content from his phone, which he did, police said.

When the resident showed an officer his Apple Wallet, the debit card was no longer there.

The man's Chase and Bank of America accounts had not been compromised as of the July 17 police report.