Phony jury duty scam entraps local resident

A Bloomfield Township resident narrowly missed paying a fraudulent $1,500 fine for a fake jury duty scam, but the local resident did pay $500 via a banking app.

On Monday, August 29, a 45-year-old resident came into the Bloomfield Township Police Department to make a fraud report. The resident said they had received several phone calls that day over a two-hour period from an individual who claimed to be a deputy with the Oakland County Sheriff's Department. The phone numbers used to call the individual turned out to have been cloned Oakland County numbers.

The impersonator claimed the township resident had failed to appear for jury duty, and was now charged with contempt of court. The caller told the resident that she had a fine of $1,500, and had to pay to clear the charges.

The resident attempted to settle the case by sending the impersonator $500 via the online Zelle banking application. The resident then offered to meet the impersonator at the police department to settle the rest of the debt, when at that point the caller ceased all contact with the resident.

The Bloomfield Township Police Department has issued an advisory to the community that no legitimate law enforcement agency will contact people by telephone to settle a fine or take care of a warrant. The department further advises that ff you believe you are being targeted, hang up and contact the local police department.