Missing jury duty can come with real consequences. You could face a fine, go to court, or even get arrested. 

Scammers know this - and try to trigger your fears to grab your money or get sensitive information.

Here’s the Scammers Playbook
 

They start with a phone call (courts never will call) or an email (courts won’t email either.) 

Their sorry story involves someone claiming to be from the police department or your local county court. 

They say you missed jury duty even though you never got a jury duty notice. They’ll tell you there’s a warrant out for your arrest, and the only way to cancel it is to pay a fine. 

If you refuse, they may threaten you with jail.

They often ask for personal information such as your Social Security number or date of birth to steal your identity. 

They also like giving you a fake sheriff’s badge and case numbers. See below.

Please remember - our local court systems will only contact you via mail.

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Here are the neon tell-tale signs that you’re talking to scammers

• Courts never call or ask you for an immediate payment over the phone. No government agency will ever do that. 

• Scammers insist that you can only pay with gift cards, a payment app, cryptocurrency, or a wire transfer service like Western Union or MoneyGram because it’s very hard to get your money back if you pay in these ways. 

• Only scammers ask for sensitive personal information over the phone, like your Social Security number or date of birth. Courts never will do that.
   

If you or someone in your family gets a call or email like this, hang up and never respond. 

Refuse to pay or give them any personal information. 

Do you think a call or email could be genuine?

• Hang up and call the court directly at a number you know is correct. 
• Learn more about how scammers pretend to be the government. 

What if a scammer has contacted you?

Tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.