Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office warns of scam calls alleging victims missed jury duty

PITTSBURGH — The Allegheny county Sheriff’s Office issued a warning about a recent scam call hitting the area.

Residents have reported receiving calls from “Tom Carter,” who says he is a lieutenant with the sheriff’s office. The calls and messages came from the number 412-394-1900.

One person who returned the call claimed the scammer said they missed jury duty and were being held in contempt of court. The imposter went on to say that the caller would receive an email with a link to conduct a Zoom meeting with a judge.

The caller reported that they never received that email.

The sheriff’s office said there is no “Tom Carter” associated with the office. They also said the calls are not legitimate or reputable.

Sheriff Kevin M. Kraus reminds all residents that the sheriff’s office would never serve a warrant by phone, would never ask for any sort of payment over the phone and does not use any sort of electronic transfer of funds when dealing with warrants or fines, including the use of Venmo, Zelle and other phone apps, nor would they ask for payments in gift cards or crypto currency.

Should you receive this type of call, report it to the sheriff’s office’s investigations division at (412) 350-4709.

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