They're calling it the "jury duty scam," and it seems to have reached Yakima this week.

The Yakima Police Department says the scam started in the Tri-Cities last week, and is now showing up in Yakima.

Callers identifying themselves as being with law enforcement -- either local police or the sheriff's office -- tell potential victims that they have failed to report for grand jury duty and that a warrant is out for their arrest. The victim is told that if they pay a fine of thousands of dollars, there will be no arrest or jail time.

The victim is told to either pay cash or put the money on what is called a Green Dot Card. These cards can be purchased at retail stores like Rite Aid or Walgreens. The purchaser gets a card that has a serial number concealed on the back of the card. The money is transferred to an electronic account that is identified by the serial number. The scammer then accesses the account and the money is gone.

Yakima police say anyone who gets such a call should hang up and then notify the YPD.

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