Sweetwater County authorities are warning people about a phone scam that features bogus sheriff's deputies threatening people with arrest for supposedly missing jury duty.

Sweetwater County Sheriff's Department spokesman Dick Blust says the con artists are calling people and telling them they have outstanding warrants for missing jury duty and must immediately make a payment or face arrest.

Blust says one of the red flags that the call is a scam is that the callers demand payment on a prepaid debit card, threatening an arrest within the next few hours if the payment isn't made. The callers often use a name, rank and badge number that make them sound believable.

Blust says no court will ever demand payment from anyone for missing jury, especially with a prepaid debit card.

Sweetwater County Sheriff Mike Lowell says his department has been getting a lot of calls about the scam. One Rock Springs woman says she was swindled out of $2,500 by the scammers.

More information on common scams across the country is available at this website.

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