Sen. Sally Turner is making sure that residents do not miss a scam alert issued by the Logan County Sheriff's Office.
Turner relayed the scam warning that could cost residents big bucks in a recent Facebook post and asked residents to share the news with others..
Turner was first elected to the Illinois Senate in 2021. A Republican, her legislative experience consists of serving on the Ethics Committee and Senate Higher Education Committee. Turner is a state senator who resides in Beason, according to the Illinois Senate.
Senator Sally Turner
| senatorsallyturner.com/photo-gallery/
"Attention Logan County: Please read the post from the Logan County Sheriff’s Office. Please feel free to share this post so residents are aware! Thank you!" Turner said in the Sept. 29 Facebook post.
The post showed a letter warning of a scam alert where someone would call and claim to be with the Logan County Sheriff's Office. The caller claims that the targeted individual missed jury duty and there is a warrant out for their arrest — and then the caller requests payment as a substitute for an arrest. The Logan County Sheriff's Office gave out several tips for avoiding telephone scams such as this one:
Never give out personal information over the phone to someone you do not personally know. Always ask questions to help identify who you are talking with and who they work for: business name, phone number so you can call them back, employee’s name for when you call back, their supervisor’s name and so forth. If uncertain, please call 217-732-4159 and speak to someone on duty who can help determine whether the call is legitimate.
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois also has issued a warning about this type of fraud. In various parts of the United States, citizens are being targeted by phone calls and threatened with prosecution for failing to comply with jury service in federal or state courts. In the calls, the threat of a fine for shirking jury service is used to coerce those called into providing confidential data, potentially leading to identity theft and fraud.
These calls are not from legitimate court representatives.
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois also addressed the current scam, saying federal courts do not mandate that anyone provide sensitive information during a telephone call. Most contact between a federal court and a prospective juror will be through the U.S. mail. While there may be an occasion where a real court official will reach out by phone, never will they ask for social security numbers, credit card or any other sensitive information.
"Jury duty is a vital civic responsibility and should be taken seriously by all citizens," according to the District Court website.
Furthermore, the U.S. District Court said it's a serious offense for any citizen to misrepresent himself or herself as a federal court official. Persons receiving such a telephone call should not provide the requested information. Those with questions regarding jury duty or the jury process can call 618-482-9160.
Alerts Sign-up