Floridians warned of jury duty phone scam

FLORIDA— A U.S. District Court and U.S. Attorney’s Office in Florida are warning the public of a jury duty scam.

Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan and U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg have issued a warning about a nationwide scam in which callers pose as U.S. Marshals or other government officials and claim that the victim is about to be arrested for not appearing for jury duty but can avoid arrest by paying a fine.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida (USAO), the area has recently received an increased number of phone calls from victims regarding these scams.

The scammers may provide convincing information about the victim (such as addresses, date of birth, etc.), real names of federal judges or court employees, actual court addresses, court phone numbers, and case and badge numbers.

Scammers may even “spoof” the phone number on the caller ID so that the call falsely appears to originate from a court number or the number of another government agency. The caller then tells the victim they can avoid arrest by paying an immediate fine and walks them through purchasing a prepaid debit or gift card or making an electronic payment to satisfy the “fine.”

The USAO said these phone calls are fraudulent, and citizens should not provide the caller with any personal or financial information. In no instance will a court official, U.S. Marshals Service, or other government employee contact someone and demand payment or personal information by phone or email, said Chief Judge Corrigan.

“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 Corrigan.

“This scam works by trying to create a false sense of urgency that you must pay money immediately to avoid arrest,” added U.S. Attorney Handberg.

“Do not fall for it.  Hang up the phone and instead report the call to the appropriate federal authorities.”

Residents of Florida who believe they have been the victim of such a scam are encouraged to report the incident to the Federal Trade Commission at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/ and your local FBI Field Office.

Below are a few preventative facts 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 number).

Report scams to the District Court Clerk’s Office, U.S. Marshals Service, or Federal Trade Commission. You can remain anonymous when you report.

You can authenticate a call by contacting the Clerk’s Office of the U.S. District Court.

Each division’s phone number is on the Court’s website at www.flmd.uscourts.gov.