North Texas judge warns of ‘jury duty' scam making the rounds

A local judge is sounding the alarm on a nationwide jury duty scam that seems so real that people in North Texas are falling victim.

The scammer threatens to arrest people they claim missed jury duty service and now must pay a fine.

This incident struck close to home when a family member of the NBC 5 team shared their experience dealing with these scammers the judge is warning about. An excerpt of the voice message left by someone claiming to be with the Dallas County Sheriff's Office said they'd missed jury duty and owed a fine.

"We have received proper documentation statement that you have missed a civil duty court mate, better known as jury duty and you will need to come out here to the sheriff's office as soon as possible,” the voice message said, before leaving a number to call.

The scam seemed so real that the relative called the number and spoke to a man on the phone. The man wanted to meet in person at a random address to pay the fine.

“Dallas County jury services is never, ever going to call you and ask you for money,” said Judge Dominique Collins of Dallas County Criminal District Court 4.

In most of the scams, someone pretends to be a deputy and calls the victim, giving them a name or badge number and saying they've missed jury duty. They then threaten the victim with a warrant for their arrest.

The scammer then claims the victim can avoid the arrest if they meet at an address to pay a fine or, better yet, go to a local store like Walgreens and get a Green Dot card or similar cash card to pay for the “fine” over the phone.

The judge said the scam has been happening across the country and locally for years but experiences periods when calls seem to increase—especially after the pandemic.

“Usually [the victims] are older people because they still have a landline. They’ll call them on the phone and threaten them this way, scare them, and then they get the money,” she said. “A lot of times, people are on fixed income, so it's really sad when it happens.”

However, scams are also happening to younger people. They can feel authentic, so the judge wanted to ensure no one falls for them. The contact might not always be a phone call; sometimes, the threats come through email as well.

Below is an example of a fake arrest order provided by the U.S. District Court Eastern District of Texas.

Eastern District of Texas

"We can look them up, and they often have not been called [for jury duty] she said. Or they came and actually did their jury service. So they're just being frightened and threatened and all the kinds of things,” she said.

Collins said they are investigating how these scammers are getting names and numbers.

“I'm sure it's from some database that you can pay for. They're not getting it from us. We know that for sure,” she said.

Officials in Florida also noticed an uptick in reports of this scam this year.

“We’ve seen a resurgence of jury scams in recent months where a caller demands that someone pay a fee or face arrest for missing jury duty.  Let me be clear: these calls are fraudulent,” warned Chief Judge Corrigan of the U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida. “If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be a judge or other court official, do not give them your credit card or other financial information. The court appreciates those citizens who are called for jury service and always endeavors to treat them with respect.”

Beware, sometimes the scammer can spoof the caller ID and make it seem like they are calling from the courthouse or government agency.

If this happens to you, the U.S. District Attorney's Office says don't give them personal information. Simply hang up.

If you're concerned, call your local court to verify jury duty, and be sure to report it to the Federal Trade Commission by clicking here. You can also report the scam to your local FBI office.

Below are a few preventative facts for officials to remember if contacted by a scammer:

• The court will always send a jury summons by U.S. Mail. A court will never ask for a credit/debit card number, wire transfers, or bank routing numbers or demand payment over the phone for any purpose.
• The District Court Clerk’s Office will contact a prospective juror who disregards a summons by mail and may, in certain circumstances, be ordered to appear before a judge. Such an order will always be in writing and signed by the judge.
• A fine will never be imposed until after an individual has appeared in court and been allowed to explain their failure to appear. If a fine is imposed, it will be in open court and reduced to writing (and will not be payable by gift card).
• Report scams to the District Court Clerk’s Office, U.S. Marshals Service, or Federal Trade Commission. You can remain anonymous when you report.