ALFRED — The York County Sheriff’s Office is warning people of a phone scam through which someone impersonates a sheriff’s deputy.

A Shapleigh woman received a phone call from someone claiming to be a York County Sheriff’s deputy, according to a statement from the York County Sheriff’s Office. The man on the other end of the line told the woman that there was a warrant for her arrest for not showing up for a grand jury, and she had to pay $1,000 cash to take care of the matter, according to the statement.

The caller instructed the woman to bring the money to the Sheriff’s Office at 1 Layman Way in Alfred, and said he would meet her in front of the building, according to the statement. The woman told police that the caller was very convincing and kept her on the telephone for about 30 minutes, telling her not to disconnect the call or she would be in contempt.

The woman and her husband drove to the Sheriff’s Office but did not find anyone waiting for her, said police.

The call came from telephone number 207-608-7953, which is a mobile number from the Sanford area, said police.

When the number is called, it leads to a voice mail message stating “you have contacted the York County Sheriff’s Department, all sheriff’s deputies are assisting other callers at this moment, if this is a true emergency you need to hang up and dial 911 immediately, otherwise leave a brief detailed message and a sheriff’s deputy will contact you as soon as possible. Thank you and have a wonderful day!”

The York County Sheriff’s Office said that sheriff deputies will never call someone and threaten them with arrest for not showing up for a grand jury or any court proceeding and will never solicit money or order you to pay a fine with cash.

“If you get a similar call, please report it and hang up,” advised the Sheriff’s Department.

The United States District Court, District of Maine, warns the public of jury scams on its website. According tot he U.S. District Court, no court or law enforcement agency will ever call to request payment of a fine for failure to appear for jury duty. Fines for failure to appear for jury duty would only be imposed by a judge in a court session with the summoned juror in attendance, according to the U.S. District Court.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 780-9015 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.