Jury Duty Scam: What to Do If a Caller Says You Missed Jury Duty

A jury duty scam is a call, text or email from someone posing as a court officer, sheriff’s deputy or clerk who says you missed jury duty and must pay a fine right away or be arrested. Courts don’t call people to demand payment over the phone, and they don’t take fines by gift card, crypto, payment app or wire transfer. If you get a call like this, hang up, don’t pay, and verify by contacting your local court using a phone number you look up yourself on its official website.

The call is designed to frighten you before you have time to think. The scammer may use a real officer’s name, know your address, and sound entirely professional. That’s what makes it convincing, not proof that it’s real.

How the jury duty scam works

Most people don’t know exactly what happens if you miss a jury summons, which is the gap scammers exploit. The pattern is usually similar:

1. The contact. A call, voicemail or text from someone claiming to be with the sheriff’s office, the court or a “warrants division”. Caller ID may show a real local agency.
2. The accusation. You missed jury duty, a warrant has been issued, and officers are ready to arrest you.
3. The way out. You can “clear” the warrant by paying a fine or a bond right now.
4. The payment. You’re told to buy gift cards or prepaid cards, send money by payment app, deposit cash at a crypto ATM, or wire funds. Some callers ask you to stay on the phone the whole time.
5. The follow-up. Once you’ve paid, there’s often another “fee”, such as a processing charge or a second warrant.

Some versions don’t ask for money at first. Instead they ask you to “confirm your identity” with your Social Security number, date of birth or bank details, which are then used for identity theft.

Common versions

• The warrant call. The classic phone version, often from a “lieutenant” or “sergeant” with a badge number.
• The voicemail with a callback number. An urgent message asking you to call back about a “legal matter”. The callback line is answered by the scammer.
• The text or email summons. A message saying you’ve been selected for jury service, with a link to a fake questionnaire that asks for personal details.
• The “self-surrender” call. You’re told to come to a location to surrender, and that you can avoid being taken in by paying first. Some callers push people to hand over cash in person.
• Related warrant scams. The same script is used for missed court dates, unpaid tickets or “failure to appear” as a witness. Phone scams like these are known as vishing.

How courts really handle jury duty

Details vary by state and court, so check with your own court. In general:

• Jury summonses are usually sent by mail. Some courts also send reminders by text or email, or use online portals for questionnaires, but these are reached through the court’s official website.
• Courts don’t demand payment by phone for missing jury service. The federal judiciary has warned the public that courts don’t ask for fines or sensitive personal information over the phone or by email.
• Missing jury duty is handled through the court. If there are consequences, you’d normally hear about them in writing and have a chance to explain yourself to a judge. It’s not settled by a phone payment to a stranger.
• Law enforcement doesn’t call ahead to offer you a chance to pay your way out of an arrest.

If you really did miss a summons, the fix is simple: call the court’s jury office using the number on the court’s official website and ask what to do. In most cases, they’ll help you reschedule.

Warning signs of a jury duty scam

• Threats of immediate arrest unless you pay today.
• Unusual payment methods: gift cards, crypto ATMs, payment apps, wires or cash handoffs. Our guide to gift card scams explains why these are favored.
• Pressure to stay on the line or not tell anyone, sometimes described as a “gag order”.
• Requests for your Social Security number, date of birth or bank details to “look up” your record.
• A callback number that isn’t the one listed on the court’s official website.
• Caller ID showing a real agency. Numbers can be spoofed to look like any court or police department.
• No paper trail. You never received a summons, and they can’t or won’t mail you anything.

What to do right now

1. Hang up. You don’t need to argue or explain. Don’t call back the number they gave you.
2. Verify with the court. Look up your local court’s official website yourself (usually a .gov address), find the jury office or clerk’s phone number, and ask whether you have any missed service or outstanding warrant. For federal courts, the U.S. Courts website lists every court.
3. If you paid, call your bank or card issuer immediately using the number on your card. If you bought gift cards, contact the card company through its official website with the card numbers and receipts. If you used a crypto ATM, contact the ATM operator.
4. If you shared personal information, place a fraud alert or credit freeze with the credit bureaus, and follow the recovery steps at IdentityTheft.gov.
5. Save the evidence: the phone number, voicemails, texts, names and badge numbers given, and any payment records.
6. Warn people close to you. Scammers often hit the same area repeatedly, and older relatives are frequent targets.

Where to report a jury duty scam

• The court being impersonated: tell the clerk’s office or jury office. Many courts post warnings when a scam is active in their area.
• Local law enforcement: call your sheriff’s office or police department on its non-emergency number, especially if the caller used a real officer’s name or you lost money.
• The FTC: at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
• The FBI’s IC3: at ic3.gov if the scam involved texts, email, online payment or crypto.
• Your mobile carrier: forward scam texts to 7726.
• Your state attorney general’s consumer protection office.

Our guide on how to report a scammer explains what to include in each report.

Can you get your money back?

Sometimes, but it’s hard. Card payments can usually be disputed, so call your card issuer quickly. Bank transfers can occasionally be recalled if you report immediately. Gift cards, crypto ATM deposits, cash and most payment app transfers are very difficult to recover, which is exactly why scammers ask for them.

Be wary of anyone who contacts you afterward offering to recover the money, including people claiming to be from the court, the FBI or a law firm. If they want a fee first, it’s a recovery scam.

A worked example

This is an illustrative scenario, not a real case. Walter, a 71-year-old retiree, gets a call from “Sergeant Hayes” at the county sheriff’s office. The caller says Walter failed to appear for jury duty last month, a bench warrant has been signed, and deputies will come to his house unless he posts a bond today. He’s told to withdraw cash and deposit it at a crypto ATM, and to stay on the line.

1. Walter says he never got a summons. The caller says it was mailed and “that’s not an excuse”.
2. When he’s told not to hang up or tell anyone, Walter gets suspicious. He ends the call.
3. He looks up the county court’s website himself, calls the jury office and learns he has no missed service and no warrant.
4. He calls the sheriff’s non-emergency line. They confirm the call was a scam, note that the name used belongs to a real deputy, and take a report.
5. Walter files a report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and tells his neighbors.

If Walter had paid, his next call would have been to his bank and the ATM operator, with a report to IC3.

How to protect yourself next time

• Know the rule: courts don’t collect fines over the phone. Share that with family.
• Keep your court’s jury office number saved from its official website so you can check quickly.
• Let unknown calls go to voicemail, and check numbers yourself. Our guide on finding out who called you covers how.
• Never share your Social Security number or bank details with someone who called you.
• Open your mail. A real summons comes on paper in most places, and responding to it promptly removes any doubt.
• Talk to older relatives. Scams that pose as authority figures, like this one and grandparent scams, often target people who are polite and trusting of officials.

Scammers often borrow real names, including those of real officers, attorneys and court staff. If your name or firm is being used in scam calls and complaints about “you” are appearing online, our personal reputation management team can help you assess what shows up in search and what can be corrected.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Calling back the number in a voicemail. Always find the court’s number yourself.
• Trusting a real officer’s name or badge number. Scammers look them up.
• Paying to be safe. Paying doesn’t protect you. It tells scammers you’ll pay again.
• Ignoring a real summons. If you did get a genuine summons in the mail, respond to it through the court.
• Feeling ashamed. These callers are skilled at sounding official. Report it so it can help others.

Frequently asked questions

Will a court call me if I missed jury duty?

Some courts do call or send reminders, but they don’t demand payment over the phone or threaten immediate arrest. If you’re contacted, hang up and call the court’s jury office using the number on its official website to check.

Can you be arrested for missing jury duty?

Rules vary by state and court. Missing jury service can have consequences, but they’re handled through the court, usually in writing and with a chance to explain. It’s never resolved by paying a caller with gift cards or crypto.

What if I gave the caller my Social Security number?

Place a fraud alert or credit freeze with the credit bureaus, watch your accounts for anything unusual, and follow the recovery plan at IdentityTheft.gov. Report the call to the FTC and your local police.

Are jury duty text messages real?

Some courts send legitimate reminders by text or email, but be cautious with any link. Don’t click it. Go to your court’s official website yourself or call the jury office to confirm the message is real.