That jury duty scam call is not a real court
A call saying you missed jury duty and must pay right now is a scam the FTC has named outright. Here is how it works and what to do.
The call you just got is a known scam
Someone just told you that you missed jury duty. They said you will be arrested or fined unless you pay right now. Your heart is pounding. Take a breath.
The FTC says calls, texts, or emails claiming you missed jury duty and must pay are scams meant to steal your money. This is not a close call. The pattern you just heard has a name, and the FTC has named it outright.
What the jury duty scam call sounds like
The caller says you failed to appear for jury duty. Now you owe a penalty. But there is a way out: pay a penalty right now, or hand over personal details to "clear it up."
The FTC says these scammers contact you and say that, if you don't pay or give them your personal information, something bad will happen. The threat of arrest is the whole point. Panic makes people pay before they think.
The FBI describes the same trick. In a government impersonation scam, criminals pose as government employees and threaten arrest or prosecution unless victims pay.
Why the caller sounds so convincing
Three things make the call feel real. None of them prove anything.
The caller ID. It may show a name or number that looks official. The FTC says caller ID can be faked, so it could be anyone calling from anywhere in the world.
The ID number. The caller may read out an employee ID number. The FTC says scammers might give you their employee ID number to sound official.
The agency name. Some invent agencies out of thin air. The FTC says scammers sometimes give you fake agency names, like the non-existent National Sweepstakes Bureau.
What real government agencies will and won't do by phone
This is the rule that unravels the whole call. The FTC says government agencies will never call, email, text, or message you on social media to ask for money or personal information. Never.
Scammers pretend to be from government agencies like the FTC, Social Security Administration, and IRS, the FTC says. The same trick shows up as a scam social security call or an IRS scam call. The agency name changes. The demand for money or personal details does not.
What to do while you're still on the call
Hang up. You do not owe the caller an explanation. The FTC says these calls are scams, and no real agency will ask for money or personal information by phone.
If it's a robocall, don't press any numbers. The FTC says pressing numbers could lead to more calls.
What to do after you hang up
Verify on your own. The FTC's guide says that if you are in doubt, you can check the list of real federal agencies at usa.gov.
Report it. The FTC says to report a government impersonation scam to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov or to your state attorney general. You can learn more about how to report scam calls.
You are not the first person this call worked on, and you won't be the last.