Jury Duty Scams are on the Rise: Here’s What to Know

Key Takeaways:

• Jury duty scam phone calls and emails are scary, but easy to recognize once you learn that courts and law enforcement agencies don’t call about missed jury summons.
• If you don’t receive a notice in the mail, it’s most likely a scam.
• Official payments for fines will never be made via crypto, wire transfer, gift cards, or payment apps.
• If you believe you’ve missed a jury summons, contact the court directly via the official number listed on its website.

We can all appreciate the importance of doing our civic duties…but getting a jury summons isn’t exactly the most fun piece of mail you can receive. While most people’s first instinct is to think of ways to get out of it, scammers have started scheming up jury duty scams to make a quick buck.

Here’s what you need to know to stay safe!

The Jury Duty Scam

Jury duty scams are usually straightforward, relying on phone calls or emails. They can still be surprisingly convincing, so here’s how they work — and how to recognize them.

How a Jury Duty Scam Phone Call or Email Works

Like a lot of scams, jury duty scams find success by using fear to fluster and trick victims. Since most people know that missing a summons can result in some serious consequences, it can be fair to panic if you receive a call saying you didn’t show up (don’t worry, once you’re done here, you’ll know how to immediately sniff these scams out). Here’s how it works:

1. You’ll get a phone call or email (maybe even a text, these days) claiming to be from a U.S. Marshal, local police officer, or court official. Oftentimes, they will even provide a fake badge number and case number.
2. They’ll claim you received a summons but missed jury duty. Note that scammers will occasionally claim that your summons was sent to a previous address, but tell you that it is still your responsibility.
3. They either tell you that there is a warrant out for your arrest or that one is going to be issued, and you’ll be taken to jail if you do not comply with them.
4. They will tell you that you can pay a fine to remove the warrant or keep one from being issued. 
5. This next part is where there’s some variation, but it will often be them telling you to go to your local courthouse or police station, with one big caveat: First, you need to go to a “federally approved location” to transfer the money.
6. The supposed “federally approved location” will often be a CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, or some other location where they can get you to either wire them money, get gift cards (usually refillable debit cards), or pay via a cryptocurrency ATM. Occasionally, they’ll skip this part and just ask you to send payment via a payment app.
7. Once you’ve sent any form of payment, they’ll disappear with anything you sent them.

Watch Out for the Fake Website Jury Summons Scam

Phone calls and emails are the classic ways scammers attempt jury duty scams, but the use of fake websites is a new twist that’s on the rise. 

Rather than having you go somewhere to wire money, scammers will provide an official-looking URL that mimics a government page. There, you’ll be prompted to enter sensitive information like your birthdate and social security number in order to “look up how much you owe.” You will then be prompted to pay your supposed fine directly through the website, often by providing bank account information or by transferring cryptocurrency. 

These fake websites are highly effective for scammers because not only do they make the scam more believable, but they also enable the scammer to get more information from you.

How to Stay Safe From Jury Duty Scams 

As scary and official as these scams can sound, keeping just a couple of key indicators in mind will keep you safe.

• Courts, government agencies, and law enforcement officers will never call to alert you that you have missed a jury summons or that you have a warrant for your arrest. The only way you’ll be contacted is by mail or by being served in person.
• No real agency will ever demand immediate payment over the phone.
• If you’re asked to pay via gift cards, money cards, crypto, or wire transfer, it’s a scam.
• You’ll never be asked to provide sensitive information like your Social Security number over the phone.

Pretty much every jury summons scam has some combo of all of the above red flags. As soon as you spot even one, it’s time to hang up/disengage.

FAQs

Is there a fine for missing jury duty? 

Missing jury duty can result in fines of varying amounts, depending on how many times you’ve missed a summons, if you have a valid excuse, etc. If you do find out you’ve missed a summons (you’ll be sent notices via mail), contact the court directly and always double-check that any information you’ve been sent — like phone numbers — matches the official website.

What happens if I miss jury duty?

Missing jury duty can result in a fine, contempt of court, or even spending a few days in jail, given extreme circumstances. Court officials or law enforcement agents will never reach out via phone, but rather via postal mail or in-person service of a warrant.

What to do if I missed jury duty?

If you’ve received a second summons or a notice of a missed appearance in the mail, immediately contact the issuing court.

How do I know if the number that called me is legit?

Because caller ID spoofing is a thing, you can’t always trust what your phone says. What you can do, however, is run the number into a reverse search tool, like Spokeo, and find out who exactly is behind a call.

Cyrus Grant is a writer from Southern California with a background in law and dispute resolution. When he isn’t writing, he can be found deep-diving into the latest technology trends or simply spending time at the beach.