PHOENIX – Judicial officials are warning Valley residents about fraud schemes where scammers make threats about missed jury duty to trick victims.
The fraudsters often pose as law enforcement officers in phone calls and emails to pressure victims into making payments to avoid fines, fees and jail time for missing jury service.
“The scammers typically demand payment via prepaid debit card or even via Bitcoin for missing jury duty,” Tiana Burdick, interim jury administrator for the Judicial Branch of Arizona in Maricopa County, said in a press release Wednesday.
This type of scam isn’t new, but the ruses are becoming more sophisticated, Burdick noted.
“The fraudsters are using real law enforcement identities and badge numbers,” she said. “They also manipulate the caller ID to reflect an actual law enforcement agency.”
If you do miss jury service, court representatives might contact you about rescheduling your service. They would not make threats about fines.
Only a judge in a courtroom would ever issue a jury service-related fine.
How to identify jury duty scams
If you get a call or email saying you owe money for missing jury service, here are some easy ways to confirm that it’s a scam.
- The call or email requests immediate payment.
- The call or email insists the payment be made with gift cards, a payment app, cryptocurrency or a wire transfer service.
- The caller asks for sensitive personal information, like a Social Security number.
Hang up immediately if you get one of these calls and report the phone number to law enforcement, your county jury office and the Federal Trade Commission.
Maricopa County residents with questions about their jury status can call 602-506-5879.
The post Valley judicial officials warn about sophisticated jury duty fraud schemes appeared first on KTAR.
