SCAM ALERT: U.S. Courts receive reports of a jury duty scam in Mississippi

PINE BELT, Miss. (WDAM) - Beware! That’s the warning from the United States District Courts as a juror scam makes its way across south Mississippi.

Officials with U.S. Courts said that multiple people reported receiving phone calls and/or emails with threats of prosecution—including fines and jail time—for failing to appear for jury duty in federal court. The caller would then ask for sensitive identifying information like social security numbers and credit card numbers. These calls are fraudulent.

Chief Judge Dan Jordan noted that the court regularly sees this type of scam.

“The public should know that while jury service is mandatory and important, no one from law enforcement or the courts will contact a juror who fails to appear by phone and demand payment of a fine,” he said. “While the clerk’s office may occasionally reach out to jurors by phone, it never does so to request payment. Such a request is a key indicator that the call is a scam.”

According to a press release from the U.S. Courts Southern District of Mississippi, the initial contact between a federal court and a prospective juror will be through the U.S. mail to complete a juror qualification questionnaire. Some jurors may subsequently complete that questionnaire online at a secure court website.

Federal court officials, however, will never request Social Security numbers, credit card numbers or any other sensitive information by phone or email. If you receive a call asking for this information, contact Clerk of Court Arthur Johnston at arthur_johnston@mssd.uscourts.gov (601-608-4010) or Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Shermaine Sullivan at Shermaine_Sullivan@usdoj.gov (601-608-6800).

Scammers use many tactics to sound credible. They sometimes provide information like badge numbers, names of actual law enforcement officers and federal judges, and courthouse addresses. They may even claim that an “arrest warrant” has been issued for you.

Here are some things to remember:

The U.S. Marshals and the U. S. District Court will never ask for credit, debit or gift card numbers, wire transfer details or bank routing numbers for any purpose.
Don’t divulge personal or financial information to unknown callers.
Report scam phone calls to your local FBI office.
You can remain anonymous when you report.
If a scammer provides a court order, authenticate it by calling the clerk of the court’s office of the U.S. District Court in your area and verify the court order given by the caller.

To learn more about juror scams, see this U.S. Courts web page.

If you believe you were a victim of such a scam, you are encouraged to report the incident to your local FBI office.

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