Courts continue to receive reports of fraudulent schemes in which individuals impersonate court personnel, law enforcement officers, and other government officials and contact members of the public regarding alleged failures to appear for jury service.

Common Jury Scam Characteristics:

• A caller claims that the recipient missed jury service or failed to respond to a summons.
• The caller demands immediate payment to avoid arrest, fines, contempt proceedings, or other penalties.
• The caller directs the recipient to pay by prepaid card, wire transfers, mobile payment applications, cryptocurrency, or gift card.
• The caller uses spoofed phone numbers, official-sounding titles, or publicly available court information to appear credible.
• The caller pressures the recipient to act immediately and discourages independent verification and may sound intimidating.

Be advised:

• Courts do not demand payment by telephone, text message, email, or mobile payment application to resolve jury-related matters.
• Courts do not instruct individuals to purchase gift cards, use cryptocurrency, or transmit funds to avoid arrest or penalties for jury service issues.
• Members of the public who receive suspicious communications should not provide personal or financial information and should independently contact the court at an official phone number listed on the court’s public website.