COLLIERVILLE, Tenn. — A Collierville woman was nearly scammed out of thousands of dollars after being told she failed to appear for jury duty.

The woman, who didn’t want to be identified, was shocked when she received a phone call from a man claiming to be a Shelby County Sheriff’s deputy telling her she was in contempt of court for failure to appear for jury duty.

“He actually knew my name, he knew my birthday, he knew my age, he knew an address I had previously moved from,” she said. “He actually said that I had actually signed the summons to appear, and as a result of signing the summons, and I’m saying that I did not sign, they would open the case for potential fraud.”

This “jury duty” scam is not a new one, and WREG has cautioned viewers on more than one occasion to not become a victim. But the woman said she was nearly led to believe she had committed three crimes.

“He proceeded to tell me I had three Class C misdemeanor warrants, and they were for $1,500 each,” she said.

She said the caller was very convincing, telling her should could pay at a sheriff’s office kiosk at one of two well known pharmacies and ultimately gave her an address on Shelby Drive to bring a debit card and pay in person.

She said she pressured the caller for more information and finally hung up to call her attorney. Her persistence paid off, and the scammer has not called back.

“She followed our examples to a T. She did everything she needed to do. She asked as many questions, and when they didn’t start to add up, she asked more questions,” said Daniel Irwin with the Better Business Bureau of the Mid-South.

The woman is thankful she decided against meeting the scammers.

“I think that had I gone to that location, I don’t think they would not have allowed me to live, especially if I had seen a face,” she said.

Shelby County says no one will ask you for money or personal information regarding jury duty and there are no kiosks for persons to pay any kind of fine.

If you get a call from a scammer, call MPD’s Fraud Unit at 901-222-5600. You may also call the Jury Commission at 901-222-1650 for jury service verification.