Connecticut State Police Warning Residents Of 'Jury Duty' Scam Calls

MIDDLETOWN, CT — State police are warning Connecticut residents that a call scam has been circulating in the state that threatens folks with "serious consequences" if they do not contact authorities at a phony number.

"It has come to our attention that an audio recording has been circulating. This recording is a complete misrepresentation and falsely claims to be an official message from the Connecticut State Police," authorities said. "We would like to make it clear that this recording did not originate from our department and should not be treated as an official communication.

An example of the call has been copied and shared on the state police cspnews.org web site.

The call is from "State Police Lt. James Ferry from the Civil Services Division," and it refers to a (name) skipping out on a "federal grand jury" summons. The recording demands that the receiver of the call contact state police via a phone number or a web site.

"The Connecticut State Police does not have a 'Civil Services Division,' and there is no individual named 'Lieutenant James Perry' employed with our agency at this time. Additionally, the recording provides a phone number— 203-208-9475—that is not affiliated with any State Police barracks or office," state police said. "This number falsely claims to be an automated contact line for Troop G in Bridgeport."

The legitimate, non-emergency contact number for Troop G is 203-696-2500, state police said.

"We strongly urge the public to disregard this misleading information, as we believe it to be part of a scam," state police said. "We encourage the public to rely solely on official sources for accurate and verified updates from the Connecticut State Police. Should you receive a call of this nature, we highly encourage you to report the incident to your local police department or State police barracks."