If you’ve been summoned for jury duty, you know there are serious consequences for missing it — like fines, court appointments, or even jail time. Scammers know this too, and they’re calling and emailing to scare you into thinking you’ve missed jury duty and need to pay. It’s a scam. Learn how the scam works so you can avoid it.
You get an “urgent” call or email out of the blue from someone claiming to be a U.S. Marshal or a police officer. They say you missed jury duty and you’ll be arrested unless you pay them now. Only you never got a summons and you know this isn’t how the courts work. This is a scammer trying to steal your money, and if you give them information like your Social Security number or date of birth, they could try to steal your identity.
Here’s how you know it’s a scam.
- Courts never ask you to pay over the phone. In fact, no government agency will do that.
- Only scammers insist that you can only pay with gift cards, a payment app, cryptocurrency, or a wire transfer service like Western Union or MoneyGram.
- Courts never ask potential jurors for sensitive information over the phone, like your Social Security number or birthdate. Only scammers do.
If you get a call or email like this, don’t respond. Don’t pay or give them any personal information. If you think a call or email could be real, check the court’s website for jury duty information or call the court directly at a number you know is correct.
Already paid or gave your information to a scammer? Read What To Do if You Were Scammed to find out what to do next. And tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
