(NEXSTAR) \u2013 Scammers are now leveraging an American civic duty \u2013 jury service \u2013 to steal your money, local and federal authorities are warning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDid you get a call claiming you missed jury duty and need to pay? Followed by a text or email with official-looking documents saying there\u2019s a warrant out for your arrest? As alarming as these things sound, they\u2019re a scam designed to steal your money,\u201d the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said in a recent news release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The caller may claim to be a U.S. Marshal or an officer with your city\u2019s police force. The scammer tries to make the call sound as urgent as possible, and may even mention some basic information about the would-be victim, such as a name or address, to sound more legitimate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To intimidate people into paying a fine for not showing up to the (non-existent) jury selection process, the scammers may threaten to issue an arrest warrant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat moment of fear that something terrible had happened was enough to blank my brain,\u201d said one Reddit user, who said his heart \u201ccaught in his throat\u201d when he received a phone call from a scammer claiming to be a Harris County sheriff\u2019s deputy. \u201cI\u2019d bet pretending to be police officers makes the scam very effective.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s not just the FTC warning about jury duty deception \u2013 on Thursday morning an Ohio sheriff warned of \u201congoing jury duty scams.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nexstar\u2019s WJW reports that Geauga County officials say they have had several reports of the scam, with one woman reportedly attempting to pay scammers $9,000 (she was stopped by her bank).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2024, the FBI\u2019s Atlanta office issued a similar warning to Georgians about the scam, adding these tips for residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As convincing as these scammers may sound, there are certain things that real law enforcement officers just don\u2019t do, according to the FTC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They won\u2019t text or email you an arrest warrant, for instance. They also won\u2019t call and threaten to arrest you \u2013 even if the caller ID appears legitimate, remember that it can be spoofed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another major red flag, according to the FTC, is a request for money using a payment app, cryptocurrency, a gift card or a wire transfer service, as no government agency will make a demand for payment over the phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anyone who actually does miss jury duty will receive a notice in the mail from the court, not a phone call or text message, the FBI says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The FTC requests that anyone contacted by a \u201cjury duty\u201d scammer tell the FTC here. There are additional resources for anyone who has already paid a scammer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n