The Eureka Police are investigating a phone scam that cost a 40-year-old Eureka man $3,800. The man had been contacted by someone claiming to be from the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office, and the man was told he needed to pay the money to no longer be held in contempt for failing to appear for jury duty for a federal case, police reported.
The man reported the fraud on Oct. 20. He told officers the person on the phone told him to go to a Bitcoin kiosk on Olive Boulevard to pay the $3,800 fine, the report said.
The man said after he paid, he was told to bring the receipt to the St. Louis County Courthouse in Clayton. He said a clerk at the courthouse told him that he had been scammed, according to the report.
As of Oct. 30, none of the money had been recovered, and no suspects had been identified, Lt. Brett Grittini said. He said anyone who has been contacted about a similar scam to call the Eureka Police at 636-938-6600.