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Missed jury duty call or text: is it a scam?

Yes. Courts do not call, text or email to say you will be arrested for missing jury duty unless you pay a fine, and real law enforcement does not send arrest warrants by text or email. Hang up, do not pay, and if you are worried, call the court's jury office on a number from the court's own website.
A black and white photo of a courthouse with tall stone columns and wide steps
Photo: retzer_c on Pixabay

If someone says you missed jury duty

Tap each one as you check it.

How the jury duty scam works

Someone calls posing as a U.S. Marshal, a deputy or a local police officer. They say you missed jury duty, a warrant is out for your arrest, and you can clear it today by paying a fine. They may already know your name and address, which makes it feel real.

Example. Names and numbers are made up.

The fake warrant by text or email

A newer version adds paperwork. After the call, you get a text or email with an official-looking document that claims to be a warrant for your arrest, often showing how much you owe.

The FTC says real law enforcement never sends arrest warrants by text or email, and does not call to say it is about to arrest you.

How courts actually contact jurors

Federal courts say most contact with prospective jurors is through the U.S. mail, and some courts also use an online juror portal. They do not require anyone to give sensitive information, like a Social Security number or date of birth, in a phone call or email.

Courts also do not take payment over the phone. The FTC says requests to pay by payment app, cryptocurrency, gift card or wire transfer are a strong sign of a scam.

What the scam does

  • Calls or texts out of the blue about a missed summons
  • Threatens arrest unless you pay today
  • Sends a “warrant” by text or email
  • Wants a payment app, crypto, gift cards or a wire
  • Asks for your Social Security number or birthday

What a real court does

  • Contacts jurors mostly by mail
  • Does not take payment over the phone
  • Does not send arrest warrants by text or email
  • Does not ask for sensitive details by phone or email
  • Has a clerk's office you can call on a published number

How to check with the real court

  1. Hang up. Do not call back any number the caller gives you.
  2. Find the court yourself. For federal courts, the Federal Court Finder on uscourts.gov lists each clerk's office; for state or county courts, use the court's official website.
  3. Call the jury office or clerk of court and ask whether you were summoned and whether anything is outstanding.
  4. Tell them about the call. Pretending to be a federal court official is a crime, and courts want to know.

If it already happened

  1. If you paid, contact the company you paid through right away: your bank, the payment app, the gift card company or the crypto ATM operator. Ask whether the payment can be stopped.
  2. If you gave your Social Security number or date of birth, get a recovery plan at IdentityTheft.gov.
  3. Tell the clerk of court for the court the caller named, so it can warn other people.
  4. Keep the fake warrant, the texts, the phone numbers and any payment receipts. Expect more calls and do not answer them.
  • ReportFraud.ftc.govReport the scam to the Federal Trade Commission.
  • IC3.govThe FBI’s internet crime complaint center, for losses online.
  • IdentityTheft.govIf they got your ID, Social Security number or account details.

Questions

Can you be arrested for missing jury duty?
Not by phone for an unpaid fine: the FTC says courts never ask you to pay over the phone. Some courts, like the federal court for northern New York, say they do not issue arrest warrants for missing jury duty at all.
Do U.S. Marshals call people about warrants?
Scammers often pose as U.S. Marshals. The FTC says real law enforcement does not call to tell you it is going to arrest you, and will not threaten arrest if you hang up.
How do courts send a jury summons?
Federal courts say most contact with prospective jurors is by U.S. mail, and some also use a secure online juror portal. A first contact that is a threatening phone call is not how it works.
The caller knew my name and address. Does that mean it's real?
No. The FTC says these scammers may already know your name or address. It proves nothing about who they are.

Realr does not check phone numbers or callers. When a stranger online asks you for money, you can ask them to prove who they are first with a Realr check.

Ask them to verify

Sources

Checked against the sources above on 17 October 2026. By Manav Sharma, Marketing Team, Realr. This is general guidance, not legal advice.

Ask them to prove who they are, before you pay or meet.

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