Moss Creek woman phones Sheriff’s Office after ‘sergeant’ calls demanding gift cards

A Moss Creek woman called the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday after she received a call from a man claiming to be a sergeant with the agency who said she was wanted for missing jury duty.

A deputy responded to the woman’s Moss Creek Drive residence around 5:20 p.m. after she got the call from the “sergeant” informing her that she had missed jury duty and that there were three warrants out for her arrest, according to a Sheriff’s Office report.

When the woman told the caller that she had been excused from jury duty because of her age and health, the man told her if she purchased PayPal gift cards in the amounts of $330, $200 and $100 and sent them to him, he would make sure she did not get arrested.

The woman did not give the caller any of her personal information before calling the Sheriff’s Office, the report said.

The real Sheriff’s Office deputy called the number of the alleged sergeant and reached a voicemail identifying the man as Sgt. Daniel Martin, the report said.

When the deputy tried the number again, a man picked up. After the deputy identified himself as a member of the Sheriff’s Office, the man hung up.

This story was originally published March 7, 2017 at 1:20 PM with the headline "Moss Creek woman phones Sheriff’s Office after ‘sergeant’ calls demanding gift cards."