The Jury Duty Scam Now Sends You a Fake Arrest Warrant
The document arrives by text or email after the call. It has your name and the amount you owe for missing jury duty, and it looks like a real arrest warrant. No court sends an arrest warrant by text.
The FTC described this version of the scam in a June alert. It begins with a call from someone identifying themselves as a U.S. Marshal or an officer at your local police department. They may already know your full name and where you live. They say you missed jury duty, and that you will be arrested unless you pay a fine.
Sheriff's offices spent the last week of June repeating the same message. In Illinois, the Kankakee County Sheriff's Office reported residents getting calls from people claiming to represent the sheriff or the county jury commission, demanding around $1,000 to avoid arrest or to have a warrant dismissed. Neither office calls anyone for money.
Then comes the part that gives it away. The fine can only be paid by payment app, cryptocurrency, gift card, or wire transfer. Courts never demand payment over the phone, the FTC says, and no government agency will. Most contact between a federal court and a prospective juror happens by U.S. mail.
What to do if you get one of these texts or calls
Ignore it. Hang up, or leave the text unanswered. The FTC says real officers won't call to tell you they're going to arrest you, and won't threaten to arrest you for hanging up.
Don't trust the caller ID. It can be made to show your local police department or the U.S. Marshals.
Give them nothing. Federal courts never ask anyone for sensitive information over the phone or by email.
Treat the warrant as fake. Real law enforcement will never text or email you an arrest warrant. Don't reply, and don't open anything attached.
Don't pay, whatever the method. Only scammers say a fine can only be paid by payment app, cryptocurrency, gift card, or a wire service like Western Union or MoneyGram.
Notify the court. Federal courts ask you to contact the Clerk of Court for your district. Find yours through the Federal Court Finder. For a county summons, call your county clerk of court using a number from the county's own website.
Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and to your local law enforcement agency.
Tell the people in your life who might get one of these, so they recognize it when it comes.
If you already paid:
Call the company you paid, today. The FTC says the money may already be gone, and that it's worth asking anyway whether the transfer can be reversed.
If you sent a wire transfer, report it as fraud to the wire company. Western Union is 1-800-448-1492. MoneyGram is 1-800-926-9400. If the wire went through your bank, call the bank instead.
If you bought gift cards, call the company that issued them, say the cards were used in a scam, and ask for a refund. Keep the cards and the receipts.
If you paid through a payment app, report the transaction to the app and ask them to reverse it. If the app is linked to a credit or debit card, tell that bank too.
If you paid in cryptocurrency, those payments are rarely reversible. Report the transaction to the company you used regardless.
If you gave them your SSN, go to IdentityTheft.gov for the steps to take, including how to monitor your credit. Also check your bank and card statements for charges you didn't make.
Never pay anyone who offers to recover your money. The FBI says those offers are a second scam.
What to do if you get one of these texts or calls
Ignore it. Hang up, or leave the text unanswered. The FTC says real officers won't call to tell you they're going to arrest you, and won't threaten to arrest you for hanging up.
Don't trust the caller ID. It can be made to show your local police department or the U.S. Marshals.
Give them nothing. Federal courts never ask anyone for sensitive information over the phone or by email.
Treat the warrant as fake. Real law enforcement will never text or email you an arrest warrant. Don't reply, and don't open anything attached.
Don't pay, whatever the method. Only scammers say a fine can only be paid by payment app, cryptocurrency, gift card, or a wire service like Western Union or MoneyGram.
Notify the court. Federal courts ask you to contact the Clerk of Court for your district. Find yours through the Federal Court Finder. For a county summons, call your county clerk of court using a number from the county's own website.
Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and to your local law enforcement agency.
Tell the people in your life who might get one of these, so they recognize it when it comes.
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