A call saying you missed jury duty and must pay a fine right now to avoid arrest is a scam. Real courts and police do not call to collect fines or warrant payments over the phone, and they do not ask for gift cards, cryptocurrency or payment apps. Hang up, check with the court using a number you look up yourself, and report the call.
How the missed jury duty scam usually sounds
The FTC describes calls from someone claiming to be a U.S. Marshal or an officer from your local police department; some callers also claim to be from a sheriff's office. The caller says you failed to appear for jury duty, that a warrant has been issued, and that officers will come to arrest you unless you pay a fine immediately.
A few details make the call feel real:
- They know things about you. The FTC notes the caller may already have your full name or address. That information is often easy to find and proves nothing about who is calling.
- They sound official. Expect a rank, a badge number, a case number, and the name of a real judge or courthouse.
- They send documents. The FTC warns that scammers now text or email a paper that looks like an arrest warrant, complete with an amount owed. A warrant sent by text or email with an amount to pay is a scam sign.
- They point you to a website. In a variation the FTC flagged in 2025, callers send you to a fake "jury fine" site with a government-looking address and seal that asks for your birth date or Social Security number to "look up" your case.
- They keep you on the line. You may be told not to hang up, not to tell anyone, or to go somewhere to make a payment while staying on the call.
How real courts and police actually handle jury service
The federal judiciary states that most contact between a federal court and a prospective juror happens through the U.S. mail, and that any phone or email contact from real court officials will not include requests for sensitive information. State and county courts run their own jury systems and their procedures vary, but the same basic pattern generally holds: summons and notices arrive in writing, and questions are handled through the clerk's or jury office.
FTC consumer alerts are direct about the rest. Courts never ask you to pay a fine over the phone, and no government agency will do that. Courts do not ask potential jurors for a Social Security number or birth date over the phone. And real law enforcement officers will not call to say they are about to arrest you unless you pay. A genuine concern about a missed summons is handled through the court itself, not through a phone payment to whoever happens to call.
The payment method is the single clearest tell. According to the FTC, only scammers insist you pay with a payment app, cryptocurrency, gift cards, or a wire transfer service like Western Union or MoneyGram. No legitimate fine is settled that way.
Why the caller ID can say "Sheriff" and still be fake
Many people are convinced because the screen shows the name or number of their local police department or the U.S. Marshals. The FTC warns that this is not proof: caller ID can be faked, and scammers use spoofing to make a call look like it comes from a trusted source. A matching name on your screen is not verification. If you want to understand how that works and what carriers are doing about it, read our explainer on what caller ID spoofing is and why it fools people.
The same applies to the reverse: calling back the number shown on your screen may reach the scammer, or a real agency whose number was borrowed. Neither helps you check the claim. For a general framework on deciding whether to pick up or return a call from an unfamiliar number, see how to tell if a number is safe to answer or call back.
How to check whether there is a real problem
If a call leaves you worried that you actually missed a summons, you can settle it without trusting anything the caller said:
- Hang up. You do not need to argue, confirm your details or press any key.
- Find the court yourself. Look up your county or state court's official website, or for federal jury service start from the federal judiciary's juror scams page. Do not use a link or number the caller gave you.
- Call the clerk of court or jury office on the number you found and ask whether there is any record of a missed summons in your name.
- Keep any real jury paperwork you received by mail. The contact details printed on a genuine summons are a reliable way back to the court.
The federal judiciary also asks people who get these calls to notify the Clerk of Court's office of the U.S. District Court in their area, so the court can warn others.
Reporting the call
Reporting helps regulators and courts spot active campaigns. Both the FTC and the federal courts point to ReportFraud.ftc.gov as the place to report these calls. Useful details include the number that appeared, the date and time, the name or agency the caller used, and how they asked you to pay. You can also let the court clerk or your local police non-emergency line know, since callers are misusing their names. Our guide on where and how to report a spam or scam call covers the FTC and FCC options and what to include.
If you ever feel physically threatened, or a caller claims to be outside your home, contact local police using 911 or their published number, not a number supplied by the caller.
What to do next
- If you only got the call: hang up, block the number, and report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FTC's jury duty scam alert lists its current warning signs.
- If you are unsure you missed a summons: contact the court directly on a number you looked up yourself.
- If you already paid or shared personal details: act quickly, contact the company you paid through, and follow our steps for what to do after giving a scam caller your information.