Court officials urge residents to beware of jury duty scam calls in Gaston County

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GASTONIA, N.C. — Gaston County court officials issued a warning to the public about scam phone calls that claim someone has failed to report to jury duty.

The Gastonia Police Department said they have seen an increase in telephone scams, and that court officials will never contact residents via phone for jury duty or tell them to pay fines in gift cards.

“We will never ever tell you, ‘You can pay for a fine with bitcoin, an Apple gift card, a department store gift card, or some other type of wire,’” said Rick Goodale, Gastonia Police Department communications specialist.

According to the North Carolina court system, a jury summons is printed and issued to jurors by U.S. mail.

<< In the video at the top of the page, Channel 9 spoke to a court official about how scammers are tricking victims into falling for the scam.

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