Jury Duty or Arrest Warrant Call Demanding Payment? What to Do

Got a call saying you missed jury duty, or that the sheriff, a U.S. Marshal or the FBI has a warrant for your arrest unless you pay a fine right now? It’s a scam: the FBI says law enforcement and government authorities “will never contact members of the public by telephone or text message to demand any form of payment” (FBI IC3), and the FTC says “Courts never demand payment over the phone” (FTC). Here’s how to check safely, what to do if you already paid or shared personal details, and where to report it.

Hang up, then check with the real court or sheriff yourself

You don’t have to decide on the call whether it’s real.

1. Hang up. “Just hang up,” the U.S. Marshals Service advises. Don’t pay or confirm personal details. Real officers won’t threaten to arrest you if you hang up (FTC).
2. Ignore the caller’s number, link and “case number.” Scammers can make any name or number show up on caller ID; that’s called spoofing (FTC). The FBI says to verify callers through “official, publicly available information,” not contact details they give you (FBI IC3).
3. Find the real office yourself.
   • County or state court: you may be able to find it through your state court website (USA.gov). Call its jury office or clerk.
   • Federal court: use the Federal Court Finder and call the clerk of court (U.S. Courts, U.S. Marshals).
   • Sheriff or police: use the non-emergency number or official website (CFPB).
   • FBI: find your local office on the FBI’s field office list and call it directly, as the FBI advises.
4. Ask whether there’s really a summons, fine or warrant in your name. The FTC’s advice for any government agency: “look up their number on your own. Then call to confirm that they contacted you” (FTC).

Signs it’s a scam: what the caller says vs. what’s true

What the caller says	What’s true
“You missed jury duty. Pay the fine now or you’ll be arrested.”	“Courts never ask you to pay over the phone. In fact, no government agency will do that” (FTC).
“There’s a warrant out for your arrest.”	“No legitimate law enforcement agency will initiate contact with the public via a phone call informing them of an impending arrest warrant” (U.S. Marshals Service).
“I’ll text you a copy of the warrant.”	“Real law enforcement will never text or email you an arrest warrant” (FTC).
“Pay with gift cards, a prepaid card, cryptocurrency, a Bitcoin ATM or a wire, or hand cash to a courier.”	Officials “will never request payment via prepaid cards, cryptocurrency, or courier” (FBI IC3). The U.S. Marshals never ask for gift card numbers, wire transfers or bitcoin deposits (USMS).
“Confirm your Social Security number and birth date.”	“Courts never ask potential jurors for sensitive information over the phone, like your Social Security number or birthdate” (FTC).
“Stay on the line, and don’t tell anyone, not even your bank.”	Keeping victims on the phone and telling them not to tell family, friends, banks or police are scammer tactics, the FBI says.

To catch you off guard, the caller may already know your full name or address (FTC).

Jury duty, sheriff and FBI scam calls: the common versions

You’re far from alone. From January 2025 through July 2026, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received nearly 61,000 complaints about law enforcement or government impersonation, with losses of more than $1.6 billion. The jury duty and warrant version alone drew 6,833 complaints and nearly $36 million in losses (FBI IC3, September 2026).

Jury duty and arrest warrant scam calls

Most start with an “urgent” call from someone claiming to be a U.S. Marshal or a local police officer (FTC). They demand “a fine in lieu of arrest” and may cite a badge number, the names of real officials and judges, and a courthouse address (U.S. Marshals Service). Others say you missed a court date and there’s a warrant for your arrest unless you pay (FBI IC3).

County sheriff scam calls

In Kentucky, the most common version the FBI’s Louisville office sees is a fake local sheriff’s office. The caller claims you skipped jury duty or a court date, may say there’s a warrant, and pushes you to pay immediately, sometimes using AI or official-looking court documents. The FBI and legitimate law enforcement “will not call members of the public to demand payment or threaten arrest, nor will they request or accept payment via cryptocurrency ATMs,” the office says (FBI Louisville, March 2026). Scammers can even fake local police phone numbers (Social Security).

Jury duty scam texts, emails and fake websites

Scammers now also text or email a fake arrest warrant, complete with how much you supposedly owe (FTC). Some send you to a site with government-looking seals that asks for your birth date and Social Security number to “look up how much you owe” (FTC). Fake web addresses can closely mirror real ones, for example “.com instead of .gov” (FBI IC3).

Don’t tap the link or reply. Instead, “look up the court’s real website for jury duty information” (FTC). Forward the text to 7726 (SPAM) and report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov (FTC).

FBI scam calls

In a version the FBI described in South Carolina, a first caller says you missed federal jury duty or have a warrant. Then an “FBI agent” calls, with caller ID showing the real number of the FBI’s Columbia office, and tells you to withdraw cash and convert it into digital currency at a kiosk. “The FBI will never demand payment via gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers, or cash deposits at kiosks” (FBI Columbia, July 2025).

Social Security and IRS versions

Some callers say your Social Security number will be suspended, or that you owe taxes and will be arrested. Social Security lists threats to suspend your number and threats of arrest among its scam red flags (SSA). The IRS says a call isn’t from the IRS if it threatens you or demands payment now, and it normally contacts you first by mail (IRS).

Already paid? Do this now

“Criminal behavior is not your fault,” as Social Security puts it. Stop all contact with the scammers and notify your financial institutions (FBI IC3). Your money may be gone, but the FTC says it’s “always worth asking” the company you paid through whether you can get it back.

The FTC’s first steps, by payment method (FTC):

How you paid	What to do first
Gift card	Call the card company at the number on the back. Say a scammer tricked you into giving them the card number and PIN, ask for a refund, and keep the card and receipt. More: gift card scams.
Credit or debit card	Call the card issuer or your bank at the number on the back of the card and ask for a refund. More: gave a scammer your card number.
Cryptocurrency or a Bitcoin ATM	Contact the exchange or ATM operator immediately, say it was a fraudulent transaction, and ask them to reverse it and refund your money. More: Bitcoin ATM scams.
Zelle or a bank transfer	Report it to your bank or credit union and ask it to reverse the payment. More: Zelle scams.
Payment app	Report it to the app and ask it to reverse the payment. More: Cash App scams.
Wire transfer company	Report it, say a scammer tricked you, and ask for a refund.
Cash sent by mail	Call the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at 1-877-876-2455. For a fee, it can intercept a domestic package that hasn’t been delivered.

Handed cash to a courier? Report it to your local police or sheriff (FBI IC3).

Keep every receipt, text and email (FBI IC3). For crypto, note the wallet address, amount, date and time, and transaction ID: transaction details are “the most important information you can provide,” the FBI says.

Gave them personal information?

• Social Security number: go to IdentityTheft.gov for recovery steps (FTC). See gave a scammer your Social Security number and how to freeze your credit.
• Bank account number: see gave a scammer your bank account number.
• Name, address, birth date or phone number: see what a scammer can do with your personal information.
• A password: create a new, strong one, change it anywhere you reused it, and turn on two-factor authentication (FTC).
• Access to your computer or phone: see let a scammer into your computer.

Can I get my money back?

Maybe. It depends on how you paid and on the company involved. With crypto, “it can be hard to get your money back,” though “some states have passed laws that might help you,” the FTC says.

Since April 1, 2024, an FTC rule against impersonating government agencies and businesses has let the agency “file federal court cases seeking to get money back to injured consumers” (FTC). The FTC says reports help it build cases against scammers (FTC).

How to report a jury duty, sheriff or FBI scam call

Report the call even if you didn’t pay, as the FTC asks.

1. FTC: ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Include your number that got the call, the number on your caller ID, any callback number, and the date and time (FTC).
2. FBI’s IC3: file at IC3.gov with the caller’s numbers, payment details and messages (FBI IC3). IC3 doesn’t investigate cases itself and you won’t hear back from it, so for urgent matters contact local law enforcement directly (IC3). More: what happens after you file at IC3.
3. FBI tips: call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or use tips.fbi.gov (FBI Columbia, USA.gov).
4. Local police or sheriff: use the non-emergency number or website (CFPB) and file a report (FBI IC3).
5. Federal court: if the caller named a federal court, notify the Clerk of Court’s office of your U.S. District Court (U.S. Courts).
6. If you’re 60 or older, or helping someone who is: call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311), weekdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern. A case manager helps you report the crime (Office for Victims of Crime).
7. If they posed as Social Security or the IRS: both agencies explain how to report it (SSA, IRS).

The report-a-scam tool and the scam recovery checklist help you keep track.

Watch for the follow-up scam

• A second “official.” A fake “FBI agent” may call next (FBI Columbia), or the caller may “transfer” you to an agent who can help you avoid arrest (SSA).
• “Move your money to protect it.” “The FTC will never threaten you, say you must transfer your money to ‘protect it,’ or tell you to withdraw cash or buy gold and give it to someone” (FTC). See how to tell if a call is really from your bank.
• Recovery offers. The FTC calls refund and recovery scams “the worst of the worst.” Scammers trade lists of people who have lost money, and “Government agencies and legitimate organizations will never ask for money to help you get a refund” (FTC).
• Fake FBI or IC3 agents. IC3 “will never directly communicate with individuals via phone, email, social media, phone apps, online chat, or public forums,” and “will never ask for payment to recover lost funds.” Scammers have used an AI-generated video of a senior FBI leader and a fake IC3 website, so type www.ic3.gov yourself (FBI IC3, July 2026). See also how scammers use AI voice clones.

What varies

• Real officials do sometimes call. Federal court officials may phone or email, but won’t ask for sensitive information (U.S. Courts). The IRS may call about account matters (IRS), and FBI field office staff may follow up on an IC3 complaint (FBI IC3). What real officials don’t do is demand payment or personal information by phone or text (FBI IC3).
• A real missed summons can bring consequences such as fines, the FTC notes, but courts “never ask you to pay over the phone” (FTC). If you’re unsure, call the court.
• Federal vs. state and county courts. The note that most juror contact comes by U.S. mail is the federal judiciary’s (U.S. Courts). For a state or county summons, check that court’s own website (USA.gov).
• Targeted versions. The FBI has seen versions aimed at medical practitioners and at foreign nationals and international students, who may be threatened with extradition (FBI IC3). The same checks apply.