June 20, 2025 – Merced County Sheriff’s Office officials report that they have received multiple reports of a phone scam 
targeting residents. Scammers are contacting individuals and falsely claiming they missed jury duty and now have a warrant for their arrest. The callers then demand payment to resolve the issue. To make the scam more convincing, they often use caller ID spoofing to make it appear as though the call is coming from a legitimate law enforcement agency.
We want to assure the public: Merced County law enforcement will never call you to inform you of an arrest warrant.
In general, if a warrant has been issued for your arrest, you will not be notified by phone.
Tips to Avoid Phone Scams: Never provide personal identifying information over the phone unless you are certain you are speaking with a verified representative.
Ask the caller to confirm what information they already have; then you can verify if it's correct.
If someone asks you to purchase gift cards and send them the codes—it's a scam. No legitimate agency or business operates this way.
We urge all residents to stay vigilant and report suspicious calls to local law enforcement. If you’re unsure about the legitimacy of a call, hang up and notify your local law enforcement agencies.
Source: Merced County Sheriff’s Office
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