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Pottawattamie County warns of jury duty phone scam

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Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Office wants area residents to know they are not calling residents to threaten arrest for not showing up for jury duty.

Such calls are a scam, according to a press release from the sheriff's office. "No member of the Sheriff's Office is making these phone calls," the release states.

The caller, sometimes reporting to be Lt. Vansberry and mentioning names of actual county deputies, shows up as calling from a 712 area code, the release states.

The caller then baits the person who answers, saying there is a warrant for their arrest, before offering to work with them to clear up the issue if they pay a fine, the release states. The caller also tries to extract other phone information, and help the caller purchase a gift card or make a payment in order to keep them on the line longer.