By admin 
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Imagine getting a call where the caller ID says it’s your local sheriff’s department. Would you answer?
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For most law-abiding citizens, it’s a no-brainer. But a Marana woman’s decision to pick up the phone set off a nightmare.
Rachel Mullis thought she was doing the right thing. When her phone rang and the caller ID showed the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, she answered. What happened next over a span of three hours is something she’ll never forget.
“I never thought I’d be scammed. I thought that only happened to older people,” Mullis said.
The scam unfolds
Mullis answered what looked like a sheriff’s call. A scammer posing as a deputy told her she missed jury duty.
“He told me the judge over the trial I was assigned to was a real stickler for people missing jury duty, and so she pressed charges against me,” Mullis said.
Mullis was given two choices: pay up or go to jail. The fake deputy kept her on the line, threatening jail, threatening her husband, even threatening her kids if she told anyone.
“‘Ma’am, I don’t want to scare you. But there have been instances where the mom and dad are both in jail. We have no other option; DCS is going to come and take your children too,’” Mullis said.
Brian Watson with Resources/Outreach to Safeguard the Elderly says it can happen to anyone. Criminals do their homework — they know your name, your address, and use pressure to rush you into a bad decision.
“But here’s the key. You have to be willing to hang up. And I know that’s hard because they will actually tell you, if you hang up, you will be arrested immediately,” Watson said.
The close call
“He told me that I owed money. Now. Basically these are warrants out for my arrest,” Mullis said.
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Three hours later, she withdrew money from her bank and went to a grocery store kiosk with $7,000 cash. The fake deputy called it a “bail deposit office”.
“He was very reassuring. Very much like, ‘I know this seems crazy, Rachel, but this happens all the time. It’s very normal. I promise you this is what happens,’” Mullis said.
As she entered the account number provided, a disclaimer appeared on the screen. And Mullis listened to her gut.
“And there’s a big warning that comes on and says ‘law enforcement will never ask you to deposit money into a Coinstar machine.’ And I’m so thankful that it’s there because it was the final straw,” Mullis said.
Mullis hung up, drove home, and reported it.
Official warning
Experts say the warning is simple: If anyone calls demanding money to avoid arrest, hang up. Law enforcement will never ask you to pay a fine over the phone. Ever.
In a statement to 13 News, Judge Danelle Liwski, presiding judge of Pima County Superior Court, said, “Jurors are the most important part of our judicial system. They ensure a fair trial for individuals involved in criminal and civil cases. Jury duty is an important civic responsibility, and judges can require a person to appear if summoned for jury duty, but a judge would never request a law enforcement officer to call anyone for missing jury duty.
If an individual failed to appear for jury duty, the judge might issue an order for the person to physically appear in court. The order would be for the person to appear and never for a monetary amount. The court has never used ‘bail deposit offices’ or cash machines for any fee collection.”
If you have questions, call the Pima County Jury Office at 520-724-4222.
The fraud warning Mullis saw is thanks to a new Arizona law targeting these scams, putting limits on machines that support cryptocurrency like the one used in this story.
Three other states have gone even further, banning the machines altogether.
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