Hang Up. Verify Directly.
In June 2026, the Federal Trade Commission issued a consumer alert warning Americans to hang up on anyone who calls claiming you missed jury duty and must pay immediately to avoid arrest. The scam has been around for years, but it is now more convincing than ever — because scammers have added a new layer: they text or email you a document that looks exactly like an official arrest warrant, complete with case numbers, courthouse addresses, and the names of real judges.
How the Call Is Built to Pressure You
The caller claims to be a U.S. Marshal, a local police officer, or a court employee. They may already know your full name and address — information harvested from data breaches or public records — which makes the call sound more credible than it should. They tell you there is an active warrant for your arrest for missing jury duty, and that the only way to avoid being picked up is to pay a fine immediately.
The payment method they demand is the scam's most visible fingerprint: gift cards, cryptocurrency, payment apps like Zelle or Venmo, or wire transfers through Western Union or MoneyGram. No government agency — not the courts, not the U.S. Marshals, not any law enforcement agency in the country — collects fines over the phone through any of those methods.
Real courts send jury summons by mail. If someone actually misses jury duty, the court sends a written notice — not a phone call. Real law enforcement will not threaten to arrest you if you hang up. A scammer will.
What to Do
Hang up immediately. Do not press 1, do not stay on the line, and do not call back any number the caller leaves. If you are concerned the call could be connected to a real court matter, look up your local courthouse number directly at a .gov website and call them yourself.
If you have already paid, call your bank or the gift card company immediately and ask whether the transaction can be reversed. Then report the scam to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to the FBI at IC3.gov. Reporting helps investigators connect similar cases and track the networks behind them.
The FTC received more than one million imposter scam reports in 2025, with reported losses reaching $3.5 billion. Sharing this warning with family members — especially older adults who live alone — is one of the most useful things you can do right now.
With care,
Mike Bridges
Founder, The O55 Report