United States Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Marshals Service Warn the Public of Jury Duty Scam

           Montgomery, Alabama – Acting United States Attorney Jonathan S. Ross and United States Marshal Jesse Seroyer, Jr., warn the public of scams involving supposed federal jury duty.

            These scams typically involve a caller posing as a United States Marshal’s Service representative. The caller informs the victim that he or she is about to be arrested for failing to appear for federal jury duty. The perpetrator then instructs the victim that he or she can avoid arrest by paying a “fine” in accordance with specific instructions. To make the scam believable, the scammer may provide convincing information, including personal details about the victim (e.g., name, address, date of birth, etc.), the title and badge number of a law enforcement officer or court official, the name of a federal judge, or the courthouse address. Scammers are even using technology to mask their phone numbers and make it appear as if the call is coming from the court or a government agency. This tactic is called “spoofing” and has become very common with scammers nationwide. In some cases, the scammer may carry the scheme out via email using an official-looking email address.

The Middle District of Alabama has recently seen an increase in reports of these phone calls. The United States Attorney’s Office and the United States Marshals Service hope to raise awareness and, as a result, prevent more people from being victimized by the scam.      

            If you receive a jury duty related call or email, do not provide any personal information or send money. Federal courts do not call or email prospective jurors to ask for money or personal information and they never serve an arrest warrant by phone. Real, valid arrest warrants are always served in person. The court also does not demand the payment of money in lieu of arrest, nor does it accept payment via gift cards, pre-paid cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency deposits.

            Anyone who receives a “jury duty scam” phone call or email should report it right away to the Federal Trade Commission at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/, the U.S. Marshals Service at (334) 922-6960, or your local FBI Field Office.  If available, please have the caller ID or email address information of the scammer when you call. You can authenticate a call by contacting the Clerk’s Office of the United States District Court in your area and verify the information given by the caller. Contact information for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama can be found at www.almd.uscourts.gov/.