Scammers are phoning St. Louis County residents, falsely identifying themselves as members of the St. Louis County Sheriff's Department and insisting the recipient missed jury duty and faces arrest unless fines are paid immediately, county officials said.
How the calls work
In recent reports, callers have left voicemails instructing people to call back a named officer — one recording identified the caller as “Sgt. Chris Thomson” — and provided badge or case numbers. The caller in one recorded exchange claimed to have court paperwork from the U.S. District Court alleging a failure to appear for jury duty earlier this year.
Scams that mimic official court or law-enforcement communications are not new, but local officials say this phone-based tactic has been increasing and is designed to frighten recipients into sending money or providing personal information.
What local officials are saying
John O'Sullivan, communications director for the 21st Judicial Circuit, St. Louis County Courts, told reporters that county sheriff’s officers do not make door-to-door arrests in these cases.
"You're not going to see St. Louis County Sheriffs officers driving around trying to arrest people. You're just not gonna see that," O'Sullivan said. "Don't pay anyone any money for saying you missed jury duty. It's definitely a scam. If you're getting anything from St. Louis County on jury [duty] it's coming in the mail."
When a resident who received a voicemail attempted to report the call to the St. Louis County Sheriff's Department, the dispatcher who answered said the department has received numerous reports of similar scams and expressed frustration at the volume of complaints, saying there is "really nothing they can do" in many cases.
How to recognize and respond
Officials emphasize that legitimate jury notices from St. Louis County come by mail, and that courts and sheriff's offices will not demand immediate payment over the phone to avoid arrest. The callers often try to create urgency or fear — claiming outstanding fines, warrants or missed jury duty — and may supply names, badge numbers or court references to appear credible.
- Do not send money or give credit card numbers in response to an unsolicited call.
- Do not provide Social Security numbers or bank information over the phone.
- Verify jury notices by waiting for official mail or by contacting the court directly using publicly listed numbers — not numbers supplied by the caller.
| Scenario | Recommended action |
|---|---|
| Caller claims missed jury duty | Contact the 21st Judicial Circuit or wait for official mail |
| Caller demands immediate payment to avoid arrest | Do not pay; report the call to local law enforcement |
| Voicemail from a named officer | Record the message and report details to authorities |
Local impact and next steps
The scam’s persistence has left residents uneasy and local dispatchers stretched thin responding to calls about bogus threats. While courts and county officials cannot stop all fraudulent calls, they hope public reminders will reduce victims and discourage scammers.
Anyone who receives a suspicious call claiming to be from the sheriff’s department or the courts should report it to the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department and the 21st Judicial Circuit. Residents can also preserve evidence by saving voicemails, recording call details and noting any numbers used by the callers. Reporting such incidents helps authorities track patterns and warn others in the community.
As officials noted, legitimate jury summonses and court communications will come through the mail. If in doubt, use publicly available phone numbers to reach court or law-enforcement offices rather than relying on contact information provided during an unsolicited call.
