The “Missed Jury Duty” Warrant Call

How the call works

You get a call — sometimes a text or email — from someone claiming to be a sheriff’s deputy, a U.S. Marshal, or a court official. They use real names of local officers and real court addresses, and often spoof the caller ID so it looks like the courthouse or sheriff’s office.

They tell you that you missed jury duty or a federal court date and that a judge has issued a bench warrant for your arrest. You’ll be arrested — today — unless you settle it immediately.

The “settlement” is a payment: Zelle, Venmo, Cash App, prepaid gift cards, or cryptocurrency. They stay on the phone and walk you through it, sometimes directing you to a store to buy cards and read back the numbers.

They impose a fake “gag order”: you’re told not to hang up, not to tell family, and not to call anyone to verify — because verification is the one thing that kills the scam.

Warning signs

• Threat of immediate arrest delivered over the phone.
• Payment demanded via Zelle, Venmo, Cash App, gift cards, or crypto.
• A verbal “gag order” — being told not to verify or tell anyone.
• Spoofed caller ID showing a courthouse or sheriff’s office.
• “Official” documents sent by text or email with seals and legal jargon.

The one fact that ends it

No court, sheriff, or U.S. Marshal will ever call, text, or email demanding immediate payment to clear a warrant — not by Zelle, not by gift card, not by any method. Real jury summons arrive by U.S. mail, and any fine would be imposed in open court, in writing, after you’ve appeared.

If you get the call: hang up, look up the court or sheriff’s office number yourself, and call them directly. The warrant won’t be there.

If you already paid

Call your bank’s fraud department immediately — ask about a Regulation E dispute and get a written claim number the same day. Report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and the FBI’s IC3 at ic3.gov, and tell your local sheriff’s office on its published number so the impersonation is on record.