DAVENPORT- The jury duty scam has been around for years, but it is back and more brazen, with scammers sounding more and more official.
"He says this is Officer Brian Roland, with the Scott County Sheriff's Department. I'm calling to see why you weren't at jury duty this morning," recalled Cari Rieder.
The Davenport realtor and mom of two teens is busy rehabbing a rental home, and was a little distracted when she got the call on Tuesday.
The fake deputy told her she had missed a summons for jury duty sent by mail, and there was a warrant out for her arrest.
"He asked me if it was possible someone else could have gotten my mail, and I thought, well, I have two teenagers," Rieder said.
Victims in jury duty scams are instructed to buy a cash card, and to ensure quick payment to avoid arrest, read off the numbers on the card, before they mail it or drop it off after-hours.
Others are asked personal and damaging information over the phone.
"Then he got upset with me and he's like, m'aam, do you want to be in contempt of court. If you want to deal with the judge, that's fine. He said I have a large caseload right now," she said.
He said if she didn't believe he was a county deputy, she should google the number on the phone. She did, and was surprised when the number came back to the county.
She realizes now the scammers were using fake or "spoof" caller ID technology, but it took a minute.
"It was believable, but the more questions I asked, the more suspicious I became," she said.
She didn't fall for it. But, wants to remind others. The jury scam is still around. So, just hang up.