How to Avoid Missed Jury Duty Scams

Not many people get excited when they’re summoned for jury duty. The temptation to just skip it because you’re “too busy” to get stuck on a jury is strong. But there can be major consequences, anything from a fine to jail time.

Unfortunately, scammers also know that missing jury duty has consequences and that the threat of these consequences is enough to scare many people into acting before thinking.

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You might receive a letter, email, or phone call claiming to be from the courts, telling you that you missed your jury service and must pay now to avoid jail time. This is almost certainly a jury duty scam.

Jury duty scams are just one example of law impersonation scams and fake phone call scams, but they tend to be one of the most effective due to how easy it is to miss a summons and the potentially severe legal consequences.

How to Spot a Jury Duty Scam and Other Law Impersonation Scams?

Scammers are very good at producing convincing-looking emails with official addresses and signatures, and they’re experienced at impersonating law enforcement on the phone. It can be easier to get caught out than many people imagine.

However, there are a few red flags that should alert you that the phone call or email you’ve received about missed jury duty isn’t legitimate:

Courts and other government agencies will never ask you to pay over the phone. They will direct you to an official online portal or ask you to pay in person at the courthouse.
Courts and government agencies will never ask for sensitive information, such as your Social Security Number or date of birth, over the phone.
Courts and law enforcement will never insist you pay using unusual payment methods like gift cards, payment apps, cryptocurrency, and so forth.
Courts will usually ask you to contact the courthouse and reschedule your jury service before issuing a fine.

In addition to these factors, if the person contacting you places extreme time pressure, for example, demanding you pay within 24 hours or face arrest, it’s almost certainly a scam. Fraudsters know that time pressure influences people to act without properly thinking through the situation.

What to Do if You Receive a Jury Duty Scam?

If you think you’re being targeted by a jury duty scam, do not respond directly. Rather than clicking on email links or replying to the caller, go to the courthouse or visit their official website. If the fine is legitimate, you should be able to resolve it there. If the person on the line objects when you suggest this course of action, that’s another red flag indicating a fake phone call scam.

Also, report the potential scam to the courthouse to help protect others from being caught out by the same fraudsters. Most courthouses have dedicated webpages letting you know what to do if you receive a jury duty scam.

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