KENT COUNTY, Mich. — A Rockford man is warning others about a potential scam involving false claims of missed jury duty and the Kent County Sheriff's Office.
Jim Archbold was checking on his bee hives Thursday when he answered a call from an unknown number.
"I had someone address themselves as a deputy for the Kent County Sheriff Department, who told me that I had two warrants for my arrest," Archbold said.
The caller claimed the arrest warrants were issued because Archbold had failed to appear for federal jury duty.
"He had my full legal name and my address at home. Everything sounded legit about it," Archbold said.
WATCH: "He was verifying that he had a sucker on the line," warns target of police impersonator scam
According to Archbold, he was instructed to drive to the Kent County Sheriff's Office and sign documents to freeze the warrants. However, he became suspicious when the caller imposed unusual restrictions.
"What finally clued me in was he told me that there was a gag order and that I couldn't talk to any third-party person or I would get more charges,and I was like, That's against my rights. So yeah, I'm going to end this call now," he said.
Archbold believes the scammer was attempting to eventually request money.
"He was trying to hand me off to who he called was his captain or supervisor. So, my guess is he was verifying that he had a sucker on the line," he said.
The Kent County Sheriff's Office reports receiving numerous calls about similar incidents. The office has issued a statement confirming these calls are fraudulent, stating, "The Kent County Sheriff's Office will never call you to demand payment or request gift cards, cryptocurrency, or any form of remote payment to resolve a legal matter."
Archbold advises others to be cautious of similar scam attempts.
"They won't text you; they won't call you; they'll come to your house. So, you get a call like that, I'd hang up and I'd call the department directly," he said.
The Kent County Sheriff's Office is investigating these scam incidents and recommends that anyone receiving suspicious calls should hang up immediately without sharing personal or financial information.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube
