Jury duty scams are government impersonation scams in which criminals pose as court officials, law enforcement officers, or U.S. Marshals. They claim you missed jury duty or ignored a summons and threaten you with arrest, fines, or jail unless you act immediately. Their goal is to frighten you into sending money or disclosing personal and financial information.
Federal courts generally contact prospective jurors through the U.S. Mail. Legitimate court personnel may sometimes follow up by phone or email, but they will not demand payment or ask for sensitive information during that contact. The FBI and U.S. Courts advise anyone receiving a suspicious jury duty communication to stop and independently verify it.
Common Jury Duty Scams
- Missed Jury Duty or Arrest Warrant Threats: A scammer claims you failed to appear for jury duty, that a warrant has been issued, or that police are on their way. You are told that immediate payment is the only way to avoid arrest or other penalties.
- Court or Law Enforcement Impersonation: The scammer may pose as a sheriff’s deputy, police officer, court clerk, judge, prosecutor, or U.S. Marshal. They may use the real names, titles, badge numbers, court addresses, or phone numbers of public officials to appear legitimate.
- Spoofed Caller ID: The call may appear to come from a courthouse, sheriff’s office, police department, or FBI field office. Caller ID can be manipulated and should not be treated as proof that the caller is legitimate.
- Fake Warrants and Court Documents: Scammers may text or email official-looking warrants, summonses, or other documents containing government seals, signatures, barcodes, case numbers, or personal information. The FBI warns that scammers may also use artificial intelligence to make their communications appear more convincing.
- Unusual Payment Demands: Scammers may demand payment through gift cards, prepaid cards, wire transfers, cash, payment apps, or cryptocurrency kiosks. Legitimate law enforcement agencies do not demand payment to prevent an arrest and do not require payment through these methods.
- Personal Information Requests: Some scammers seek Social Security numbers, dates of birth, driver’s license numbers, addresses, banking details, or other information that can be used for identity theft.
How to Avoid Jury Duty Scams
Staying calm is one of your best defenses. Scammers rely on fear, urgency, and isolation to prevent you from verifying their claims.
- Hang up or stop responding. Do not remain on the line while traveling to a courthouse, bank, store, or payment kiosk.
- Never send money or provide personal or financial information in response to an unsolicited jury duty call, email, or text.
- Do not trust caller ID, badge numbers, case numbers, or official-looking documents as proof of legitimacy.
- Do not click links, scan QR codes, call numbers, or open attachments included in a suspicious message.
- Independently contact the court clerk using a phone number found on an official
.gov website. For federal courts, use the Federal Court Finder.
- Be suspicious if the caller demands secrecy or tells you not to contact family, your bank, the court, or law enforcement.
- Resist pressure to act immediately. A legitimate court will allow you to verify the communication through an official channel.
- If the message was sent to your Villanova email account, use Outlook’s Report Phishing button to submit the original message.
Remember: A legitimate court or law enforcement agency will not demand immediate payment to cancel a warrant or avoid arrest.
What to Do if You Have Been Scammed
If you know or believe you have been scammed, do not panic. Acting quickly may help limit the damage and assist law enforcement.
- Stop communicating with the scammer and do not send additional money or information.
- Contact your bank or payment provider immediately to determine whether the transaction can be stopped or reported as fraud.
- Preserve relevant messages, documents, receipts, and transaction details. Report the incident to IC3.gov and local law enforcement.
- Change affected passwords, enable multifactor authentication, and monitor your financial and credit accounts.
- If Villanova accounts, devices, systems, or data were involved, Report a Security Concern.
For more detailed recovery and reporting guidance, visit Responding to Personal Fraud or Identity Theft.
Additional Resources