Multiple Scams Designed to Steal From You in East Texas Now

(Smith County, Texas) - Folks, scammers are alive and well in East Texas. Some will call you and be downright threatening. Others will use the threat that someone is in jail to trick you into paying money. Others will be sneaky and send an email with malware attached to get into your computer or phone to steal without you knowing it.

The most vulnerable to these scams is the older generation. Make sure they know about the scams that are being carried out and what to do if they get contacted by a scammer. Our local police are also letting us know about scams in the area just like the Smith County Sheriff's office has done recently.

Missed Jury Duty Scam Being Reported in East Texas Now

The Smith County Sheriff's office has sent out two notices about scams being carried out in East Texas. One scam many have gotten involves a caller saying you've missed jury duty and a warrant has been issued for your arrest. The caller will tell you to pay for the warrant to revoke the arrest.

These scammers are using legitimate sheriff's employee names and spoofing legitimate phone numbers. The sheriff's office will not call anyone about missing jury duty and not ask for any kind of payment over the phone. If you get one of these calls, just hang up.

"Legal Matter" Phone Call from Sergeant Terry Brunk Scam

Another scam in East Texas is a call going out from a "Sergeant Terry Brunk" with a message about a "legal matter." A phone number will be given for you to call back. When the number is called, you'll be asked to leave a message with your name and phone number and you'll get a call back.

Terry Brunk is a real constable in Tyler but is not authorizing any of these calls. Legitimate phone numbers are being spoofed to make these calls. The scammers are also using an AI generated voice to carry all of this out. The sheriff's department did call a number that was given and left a message. When they tried to call again, the number had been disconnected.

What to do If You Receive a 'Jury Duty Missed' or 'Legal Matter' call

The best action if you receive either of these calls is to simply hang up. If you get this call, you can report it to the sheriff's office at 903-566-6600.