Scam script · Phone call

Jury Duty Warrant Threat Call Scam Examples

Callers impersonate court officials or law enforcement, claiming you missed jury duty and a warrant is out for your arrest — demanding immediate payment to cancel it.

Last reviewed: 1 June 2026

Sanitized example messages

Illustrative, sanitized examples. Personal details are replaced with placeholders such as [phone number] and [fake link].

This is Officer [name] from the [County] Sheriff. You failed to appear for jury duty and a warrant has been issued. To avoid arrest today, you must pay a [amount] fine. Call [fake number] immediately.

You have been charged with contempt of court for missing jury duty in [County]. Your arrest warrant will be executed within two hours unless you pay [amount] in gift cards and call us back at [fake number].

This is a final notice from the [State] Circuit Court. A bench warrant is active for your failure to appear. Pay [amount] now to have the warrant recalled before deputies arrive.

Automated notice: A [County] grand jury warrant has been issued in your name. Press 1 to speak with a clerk and resolve your outstanding fine of [amount] before enforcement begins.

What the scammer wants

To frighten you into paying a fake fine using gift cards, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency by making you believe arrest is imminent if you do not comply immediately.

Red flags in the message

Real courts do not call to demand immediate payment to cancel a warrant
Pressure to pay within hours to avoid arrest
Requests for gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency
Caller refuses to let you hang up and verify via official court numbers
Uses aggressive, urgent language and threatens immediate arrest
The callback number is not the official court or sheriff number

A safe response

Hang up immediately. If you are genuinely concerned about jury duty, call the court directly using the number on the official court website — not any number the caller provides.

What not to send

Gift card codes
Wire transfer or cash
Personal ID numbers

What to do if you already replied

If you paid, report to your local police and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov
If you gave personal details, place a fraud alert with the major credit bureaus
Contact your bank if any account or card information was shared

Evidence to preserve

Screenshot the full message or call details
Note the sender number, email, or profile
Save any links (without clicking) and payment details
Record dates and times

Sanitized example messages

Illustrative, sanitized examples. Personal details are replaced with placeholders such as [phone number] and [fake link].

This is Officer [name] from the [County] Sheriff. You failed to appear for jury duty and a warrant has been issued. To avoid arrest today, you must pay a [amount] fine. Call [fake number] immediately.

You have been charged with contempt of court for missing jury duty in [County]. Your arrest warrant will be executed within two hours unless you pay [amount] in gift cards and call us back at [fake number].

This is a final notice from the [State] Circuit Court. A bench warrant is active for your failure to appear. Pay [amount] now to have the warrant recalled before deputies arrive.

Automated notice: A [County] grand jury warrant has been issued in your name. Press 1 to speak with a clerk and resolve your outstanding fine of [amount] before enforcement begins.

Red flags in the message

Real courts do not call to demand immediate payment to cancel a warrant

Pressure to pay within hours to avoid arrest

Requests for gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency

Caller refuses to let you hang up and verify via official court numbers

Uses aggressive, urgent language and threatens immediate arrest

The callback number is not the official court or sheriff number