Westmoreland teachers targeted by nationwide jury duty scam

A nationwide jury duty scam using the name of a fictitious sheriff’s deputy is targeting school teachers in Westmoreland County, according to state police.

Scammers are using the name “Deputy Wayne Farley” — which has been linked to phone scams around the country — and calling a school district to be transferred to a teacher’s classroom, Trooper Steve Limani said. The caller then claims the teacher missed jury duty and needs to pay a $1,000 fine immediately, he said.

“It’s very unique, very specific and it has been somewhat successful where at least they are getting the teacher out of the school,” Limani said.

At least six local teachers have left school buildings to purchase a prepaid Green Dot credit card, but they’ve all realized they were the target of a scam before handing over the card numbers to the caller, he said. The caller directs the teacher to drive the card to the Westmoreland County Courthouse before ordering them to pull over instead and provide the numbers on the card.

“We haven’t had anybody fork over the cash, so to speak,” Limani said.

It’s a brazen new way for scammers to try to perpetuate the “Deputy Wayne Farley” scam, which has been reported for the past few years in places such as New York, Maine and Washington.

Limani said troopers have notified local school districts and superintendents of the issue, as well as operators of convenience stores where Green Dot cards are sold. Clerks at the Youngwood Sheetz have stopped two people from buying cards to fulfill a scam.

“Luckily, between being up to date and trying to share information, we’ve been able to stop a couple people right at the register,” he said.

As is typical with phone call scams looking for quick cash, the caller knows a little information about their target and uses fear and scare tactics to get someone to act fast. Limani said the caller in the “Deputy Wayne Farley” scam reportedly kept the teacher targets on the phone the entire time, leaving them without an option to call a loved one for input or Westmoreland County offices — both options of verifying the caller’s claims.

“Anytime someone’s asking for gift cards, that is an automatic red flag,” he said.

Police believe an organized network of scammers is behind the situation. Anyone with information about the scam or who wants to report being a victim of one can call state police at 724-832-3288.