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A Harris County constable warned about a jury scam on Tuesday, Houston-based media outlets reported.
Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen said the alleged scam involves people posing as officers from his agency who call citizens demanding money to avoid the execution of an arrest warrant for failure to fulfill jury duty, Houston FOX affiliate KRIV reported.
The scammers have purportedly bilked victims – most of whom are doctors – out of $5,000 each, Rosen said, according to KRIV.
“These people are extremely convincing … It implicates our office,” the constable said in a video posted by his office on Twitter.
Rosen, who showed a gift card he alleged the scammers instructed be used to remit the funds, added that law enforcement doesn’t call people to inform them that they have a warrant.
"And sadly, doctors are working so hard now that they really don't have time to really vet the source on this," he said, Houston CBS affiliate KHOU reported. “People who are highly intelligent in our medical teams … they are falling prey to this.”
Per KHOU, one of the more than 60 victims are a police officer’s spouse and an attorney.
Authorities believe there could be more who fell for the scam, with Rosen saying that some victims refuse to notify law enforcement out of terrible embarrassment, the station reported.
KRIV reported that female physicians who were targeted were told to disrobe and send lewd pictures of themselves.
Rosen urged anyone who gets such a call to hang up immediately and contact his office to confirm if they have an active warrant.
National Public Radio (NPR) reported that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued a warning for the public to be wary of calls employing voice clones created by artificial intelligence (AI).
"All [the scammer] needs is a short audio clip of your family member's voice — which he could get from content posted online — and a voice-cloning program," the FTC said. "When the scammer calls you, he'll sound just like your loved one."