The Southern District of Georgia has issued a warning about scams involving fake jury duty notifications, arrest warrants, and other spoofed documents. These scams are being conducted through text messages, phone calls, and emails. The scammers claim that the recipient has failed to report for jury duty or has pending violations. In some cases, they assert that a family member has been arrested and request bond payments via electronic payment methods such as Apple Pay, Zelle, Chime, or Venmo.
The fraudulent communications may include what appear to be legitimate documents with badge numbers, judge signatures, and court addresses. Scammers might also spoof their phone numbers to make it seem like they are calling from a court or government agency.
Officials emphasize that federal courts do not solicit money or personal information over the phone. Jury service notifications are sent by mail. If someone fails to appear for jury duty, correspondence will come from the Clerk of Court by U.S. Mail without requests for social security numbers or payments.
To avoid falling victim to these scams, individuals should be wary of unsolicited calls and never provide money or personal information unless they initiated contact with the caller. It is advised to trust one's instincts; if something feels off during a call, hang up and verify any claims by contacting the agency directly using verified contact details found online.
If anyone receives such scam communications regarding jury duty or other matters, they should report them to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.ic3.gov.