Scam Alert - Jury Duty Fines

TALLAHASSEE, Fl.-- Floridians are warned of a recent surge in jury duty scams across the state. According to reports, at least five counties have warned of jury duty scams in the past year—including two warnings already in 2022. 

The scam involves an imposter contacting a Florida resident and claiming the resident missed jury duty and must pay a fine. The imposter then claims if the fine isn’t paid immediately, the citizen may be arrested or forced to pay late fees.

Reports of jury duty scams have surfaced in at least five Florida counties in the past year, including: Citrus County, Collier County, Lake County, Polk County and St. Johns County.

To guard against jury duty scams, follow these tips:

Know that jury duty summons will come by mail, not by phone or email;

If no jury duty summons is received, then ignore a phone call from anyone claiming to be calling about jury duty;

Contact a local court clerk’s office using the Florida Courts map to see if there is a valid jury duty issue;

Never give personal or financial information over the phone to a stranger, especially if the caller acts aggressively;

Recognize that anyone asking for payments to be made through a gift card is a scammer; and

Be wary of Caller ID, as this can be spoofed, making a phone call look like it is coming from a real source.

Report suspected jury duty scams to the local County Clerk’s office using the Florida Clerks website and to local law enforcement. Anyone who encounters a jury duty scam, or any other type of fraud, can also file a complaint with the Florida Attorney General’s Office online at MyFloridaLegal.com or by calling 1(866) 9NO-SCAM.