Jury duty scam: no court arrests you over a phone call
If someone calls, texts or emails to say you missed jury duty and must pay a fine now or be arrested, hang up. Courts summon jurors by mail, no court or police department collects a fine over the phone, and real arrest warrants are never served by text or email.
The jury duty scam is a call (or text or email) from a fake U.S. Marshal, deputy or court clerk saying you missed jury duty and face arrest unless you pay a fine by payment app, gift card, cryptocurrency or wire. Nothing about it is real: courts contact jurors by mail and never demand payment by phone. Hang up and report it.
How the jury duty scam works
The FTC's June 2026 alert describes the pattern: an "urgent" call from someone claiming to be a U.S. Marshal or an officer from your local police department, who may already know your name and address. They say you missed jury duty (you didn't) and threaten to arrest you (they won't) unless you pay a fine, usually by payment app or cryptocurrency. The newer twist is a document styled as an arrest warrant, texted or emailed to you with the amount "owed". Courts never demand payment over the phone; no government agency does.
| What a real court does | What the scam does | |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts you | By mail, with a jury summons | A surprise call, text or email |
| Fines | Handled by the court in writing, never collected by phone | "Pay now" by app, gift card, crypto or wire |
| Warrants | Served in person by law enforcement | A PDF "warrant" texted or emailed to you |
| If you hang up | Nothing happens; you call the clerk's office when you choose | "Hang up and you will be arrested" |
| Verifying | A number you look up on the court's own website | The number the caller gives you |
The caller ID can show the real courthouse. Spoofing lets a caller display any number, including your county court or sheriff's office, so a matching number proves nothing. The federal court in Seattle puts it plainly: valid arrest warrants are only served in person and never by email or text.
What to do
- Hang up, or leave the text or email unanswered. There is no penalty for ending the call.
- Don't pay. No court or law-enforcement agency collects fines by payment app, gift card, cryptocurrency or wire transfer.
- Worried you really missed a summons? Look up the clerk of court's number yourself and ask; the court will tell you what, if anything, is on file.
- Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and forward scam texts to 7726 (SPAM).
- Already paid? Contact the payment app, card issuer or bank immediately, then follow the FTC's steps for people who paid a scammer.
If you really did miss jury duty
A missed summons is handled by the court, in writing: a follow-up notice, or an order to appear and explain, and in some courts a penalty set by a judge. None of it arrives as a phone call demanding a fine today. The demand for immediate payment is the tell, whether or not you were ever summoned.
Got the number that called? Look it up. See also neighbor spoofing and the one-ring scam.
Frequently asked questions
Is the jury duty scam call real?
No. A call, text or email saying you missed jury duty and must pay a fine to avoid arrest is a scam the FTC and federal courts have warned about repeatedly. Courts contact jurors by mail, never demand payment over the phone, and real arrest warrants are served in person, not sent by text or email.
Can you be arrested for missing jury duty?
A court can follow up on a missed summons, in writing, and a judge can order you to appear or impose a penalty through the court's own process. What never happens is a phone call demanding that you pay a fine today to cancel a warrant. That demand is the scam, whether or not you were ever summoned.
How do courts really contact jurors?
By mail. A jury summons arrives as a letter, and many courts also offer an online juror portal you sign into yourself. Courts do not call, text or email to say you missed service and owe money.
Why did the caller ID show my county court or sheriff's office?
Caller ID can be spoofed to display any number, including a real courthouse or sheriff's line, so a matching number proves nothing. Hang up and call the clerk's office using a number you find on the court's own website, never the number the caller gives you.
What should I do if I already paid a jury duty scammer?
Contact the payment app, gift-card issuer, bank or wire service immediately and ask to reverse or stop the payment; the sooner you act, the better the odds. Then report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and follow the FTC's guide for people who paid a scammer.
How do scammers know my name and address?
From data breaches, public records and people-search sites. Knowing your details is not proof the caller is an official; real court staff would not be calling to collect a fine in the first place.
Sourced from the official NANPA (North American Numbering Plan Administrator) numbering database, current as of October 21, 2026. Refreshed monthly.