Beware Jury Duty Scams
You missed jury duty, a warrant is out for your arrest, but you can clear it up by paying a fine in gift cards right now. The caller even knows your name and address. It is a scam — real courts do not call demanding gift cards, and warrants are not payable over the phone. This guide shows the script, the verification steps, and what to do if you paid. The same playbook drives fake bank calls — learn that pattern too.
TL;DR / Quick Fix
Quick fix: courts never call to demand gift card payments for missed jury duty — hang up. Verify any real summons by calling the courthouse number from its official website, not the caller's number. Never pay fines with gift cards, wire transfers, or crypto; those are scam-only payment methods.
Follow these steps
- Recognize the script. Missed jury duty, arrest warrant, pay now to avoid jail, gift cards or wire transfer. Every element is designed to panic you into paying before thinking — real courts work nothing like this.
- Hang up immediately. Do not argue or ask questions — engagement helps them refine the pressure. Hang up; a real legal matter survives you hanging up on a scammer.
- Verify through official channels. Look up the courthouse number yourself — official website, typed by you — and call to ask about your jury status. In essentially every case, there is no warrant and no fine.
- Never pay the way they demand. Gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, and payment apps to strangers are irreversible and untraceable. No legitimate fine is ever collected this way — the payment method is the proof of fraud.
- Report the call. Report to local police and the FTC. Jury-duty scammers often target one area in waves; your report helps warn neighbors.
- Act fast if you paid. Gift card money is usually gone, but report anyway — codes sometimes get frozen if caught quickly. Then watch for follow-up scams, since paying marks you as a target.
What NOT to do
- Do not pay any 'fine' demanded by phone. Real fines come as mailed notices with appeal rights, not gift card ultimatums.
- Do not trust the caller ID. Scammers spoof courthouse numbers routinely — the display proves nothing.
- Do not give personal details to 'verify your identity.' The call is the attack; every answer feeds the next scam.
- Do not let fear of a warrant override common sense. If a real warrant existed, officers would not collect gift cards to make it vanish.
Frequently asked questions
What if I actually missed jury duty?
Call the courthouse directly on their published number. Real missed-jury-duty issues are resolved with a rescheduled date, not a payment.
How did they know my name and address?
Public records and data brokers sell that cheaply. Knowing your address is not proof of authority.
Can I get gift card money back?
Rarely, once the codes are redeemed. Report immediately anyway — and treat any 'recovery service' that contacts you as a second scam.