Derby woman falls victim to Sedgwick County jury scam

DERBY, Kan. (KSNW)—Scammers claiming to be sheriff’s deputies are targeting Sedgwick County residents, pressuring them into giving them personal information.

This scam is fast-paced and urgent. One woman in Derby who became a victim just a few days ago says everything happened so fast that she didn’t have time to think.

On Thursday, Clelleshia Martin was at work running her skincare business when she received a missed call from a 316 number from a man claiming to be Michael McRae, a deputy with the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office.

“Good afternoon, this is Lieutenant Michael McRae calling with the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office,” the voicemail played. “Our facility has been required by mandate to reach out to you today.”

He told Martin that she had failed to show up as a federal grand juror for three days and now owed $12,000 to authorities. She didn’t respond immediately.

“I wanted to kind of feel like I was doing my due diligence,” Martin said.

She says they also pronounced her first name correctly, which never happens.

“They recognized my phone number. They had my date of birth. They had my full first, middle and last name. My middle name is also very different and unique,” said Martin.

Before calling back, she googled the deputy’s name and found photos of him. Once she confirmed who she was, she called the number back.

“He articulated everything so well, and his vocabulary and the way that he just kept spewing things at me, I could hardly even get a word in edgewise,” Martin said.

For an hour, he wouldn’t let her off the phone. Threatening to have her arrested if she got in the car and left her workplace.

“They had already told me I couldn’t hang up the phone. I was under a ‘gag order,'” Martin said.

She says the man on the phone directed her to a website that looked like a legitimate government website. There, she had to create an account to upload her personal information and pay the fee.

She entered her social security number and uploaded her driver’s license photo but stopped before giving banking information or money. She refused to pay money until she saw a deputy in person; eventually, the call dropped.

“I called my husband immediately. I got in my car. I went downtown to the sheriff’s office,” said Martin.

She was quickly told the call was a scam. She says she felt humiliated.

“We can’t catch them. We can’t stop them. We can’t hold them accountable. That’s what frustrates me, so I guess that’s why I’m doing this. People need to be aware,” said Martin.

Remember that Sedgwick County sheriff will never call to inform you of a violation.

For tips on how to avoid imposter scams, visit the Better Business Bureau’s website .

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