Another Massachusetts scam, another resident scammed out of thousands of dollars as authorities warn

Dedham, MA – Sheriff Patrick McDermott and the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office are once again warning residents to be on alert for fraudulent calls from people who pretend to be members of law enforcement, after a man from Bourne said he was duped out of $68,700 in a jury duty scam.

The victim called the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office on Friday, May 2, to report the fraud. The victim said he had received numerous calls starting on April 28th from two men, who claimed to work for the sheriff’s office. They claimed he faced a “contempt of court order” for “failure to appear” for jury duty and would be arrested if he did not pay.

“Please, just hang up on people who make these claims,” said Sheriff McDermott. “No one from our office, or any other law enforcement agency, makes these calls. This is a scam.”

The victim has since filed a report with the Bourne Police Department.

The scammers told the victim he would be arrested if he did not pay the restitution of $68,700. He said they were very intimidating. The man says he transferred the funds at a local convenience store. The man shared documents sent to him from the imposters which included bogus “mobile escort orders” asking for a “verbal sobriety statement” from “US District Court, Inc.” with an address that comes back to a residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., not a federal office. One document said court and processing fees would be waived if the man paid a bail amount of $30,000. Another document referenced a former US Treasurer, with a misspelling of the word Treasurer.

“Don’t act hastily if you receive a call like this. Do not send someone money while under duress,” said Sheriff McDermott. “Call your local police department or the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office if the scammers are acting like they work for us.”