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Missing jury duty can come with real consequences. You could face a fine, go to court, or even get arrested. Scammers take advantage of that to get your money or sensitive information. But their story is a lie. 
 

This scam usually starts with a phone call or an email from someone claiming to be from the police department or a court official. (They’re not.) 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. (It’s a lie.) If you refuse, they may threaten you with jail. Or they might ask for personal information like your Social Security number or date of birth to steal your identity. To make the scam seem real, scammers also might give you a fake sheriff’s badge number and case number.
 

Here’s how you can tell it’s a scam.

  • Courts never ask for immediate payment over the phone. In fact, no government agency will do that. 

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

If you get a call or email like this, hang up or don’t respond. Don’t pay or give them any personal information. If you think a call or email could be real, call the court directly at a number you know is correct. Learn more about other ways scammers pretend to be the government. If you spot it, tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.  

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Calls or emails asking for money for missing jury duty? Don't pay. It's a scam.
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The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. We review all comments before they are posted, and we won’t post comments that don’t comply with our commenting policy. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect.

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