Jury Duty Scam Perpetrated in Piedmont
The following is a press release of October 24, 2014 –
Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Law Enforcement Scam
The Piedmont Police Department would like to warn the citizens of Piedmont about a phone scam in which the perpetrators portray themselves as employees for the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.
On October 23, 2014, the unknown suspect(s), who portrayed themselves as Alameda County Sheriff’s Office deputies, contacted two different Piedmont residents by phone and demanded a transfer of cash which they claimed was owed to the agency. The suspect(s) informed the victims that they had missed jury duty and there was an outstanding warrant for their arrest. The suspect(s) then told the victims to place the amount owed for the warrant onto a prepaid card known as a “Vanilla” card to avoid being arrested.
Please note the following:
The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office never asks for a credit card number over the phone or requests the use of a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer.
No law enforcement agency will call you and propose an immediate money transfer to avoid arrest.
Anyone who receives these type of calls is advised to contact their local law enforcement agency.
Anyone with information and/or inquiries related to this specific Piedmont case should contact:
Detective Willie Wright at (510) 420-3013.
