Phone scammer pretending to be law enforcement doesn't realize he's on line with police captain who recorded the entire conversation

Published: 22:19, 27 June 2026 | Updated: 22:26, 27 June 2026 An Ohio scammer posing as a sheriff's captain got an unexpected surprise when the person he tried to swindle turned out to be a real police captain who recorded the entire conversation before exposing him. The caller, who identified himself as 'Captain Michael' from the Medina County Sheriff's Department warrant division, contacted Captain Jacob Morris of the Lorain Police Department claiming he had missed jury duty and faced arrest unless he immediately paid $2,400. The scammer, however, had unknowingly picked the wrong target. 'I could tell pretty quickly what it was,' Morris later told News 5 Cleveland, noting one of the first warning signs was that the caller didn't even pronounce Medina correctly. The scammer claimed Morris had failed to appear for jury duty and said a warrant would be issued for his arrest unless he paid thousands of dollars that day. 'Essentially it was pay me today, we'll suspend these warrants that are out there and you will get this money back so there's really no risk,' Morris said. Instead of hanging up, the 16-year veteran officer decided to keep the scammer talking. He secretly recorded the nearly 20-minute conversation on his personal cellphone, hoping to give the public a firsthand look at the tactics scammers use to pressure victims into handing over money. Captain Jacob Morris of the Lorain Police Department recorded a nearly 20-minute phone call after realizing a scammer posing as law enforcement had unknowingly targeted a real police officer During the call, the scammer claimed law enforcement no longer accepted traditional forms of payment because of past fraud. 'Due to fraudulent activity in the past, we no longer accept hand-in-hand payments for fines, rather than debit cards, credit cards, checks, money order, things of that nature,' the caller said. The demand for immediate payment, coupled with threats of arrest, is a hallmark of jury duty impersonation scams that have surfaced across the country in recent years. After allowing the caller to continue his pitch, Morris finally revealed who he really was. 'I've been recording the whole time. So, I'll be sharing it with our local pages and all the agencies nearby. Hopefully, you don't scam anyone else out of any money,' Morris told the caller. 'I don't know how you sleep at night, but I pray for you, man. I hope you can find a way to make an honest living instead of stealing.' Moments later, he delivered one final blow. 'Horrible scam, but better than most. I'm a police officer, you're full of s**t,' Morris said before ending the call. The caller falsely claimed the victim had missed jury duty and would need to pay $2,400 immediately to avoid an arrest warrant Morris later said that although he immediately recognized the scam because of his law enforcement experience and familiarity with the court system, he could understand how someone else might fall for it. He warned that while the specific stories scammers tell may evolve, the pressure tactics they use remain largely the same: creating a sense of urgency, threatening legal consequences and demanding immediate payment before victims have time to verify the claims. The Lorain Police Department has shared the recording publicly to help residents recognize similar scams and avoid becoming the next victim. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.