Don't Fall for this Jury Duty Scam

A Johnston County resident almost fell for a jury duty scam when a caller used a real sergeant's name and badge number to make it sound official. The moment she asked for proof, the story fell apart.

Always double-check caller details and look out for red flags. If a caller seems suspicious, hang up and contact the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office directly at (919) 989-5000.

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Video transcript:

A healthy amount of skepticism helped a Johnston County woman avoid falling for a scam. It started with a voicemail.  

"Hello," the scammer said. "This is Sergeant Michael Pope. I'm with the Johnston County Sheriff.  This is no emergency. These legal matters are in reference to a jury service that you missed yesterday morning."

He gave the woman his phone number and badge number. I did a Google search of the sergeant's name before I called back and everything checked out. So, I called back. The guy said I missed jury duty and I could now be arrested. She thought it was possible that she had indeed missed a jury summons.

We are new to the state, so I'm not even sure how they contacted me here. But then the scammer made a mistake.  He said that a letter was delivered to my house and they have my legal signature. This was my first red flag. She went on the offensive. I then asked him to send me a picture of my signature as someone clearly forged my signature. He said he could not do that.

She then Googled the phone number the scammer had given her. Nothing came up.

The scam began to unravel. The woman told the scammer she planned to search the phone number to make sure he was actually from the sheriff's office.  He immediately hung up on me.

The woman posted her story on social media because she wanted to warn others. Be on alert. Ask questions and Google the number before you call back. If you think you've been targeted by a jury  duty scam or any caller impersonating law enforcement, do not pay them or give out personal information. Hang up immediately and report the incident directly to the Johnston County Sheriff's Office at 919-989-5000.

Page last updated on:  September 24, 2026