In various parts of the United States, citizens are being targeted with a missed jury duty scam. Phone calls and emails are placed advising citizens that an arrest warrant has been issued for failing to appear for jury duty in federal court.

In the calls and emails, citizens are either pressured to provide personal information to pay the “bail”, or instructed to go to their bank and withdraw a sum of money, ranging from $300 to $3,000. The citizen is then instructed to purchase a ReCharge or Reloadable Card, from a grocery store or pharmacy in the area, and to provide the card number to the caller.

The citizens being targeted are usually older adults who are afraid of being arrested. The caller will usually sound very convincing and intimidating, by possibly using the names of law enforcement or federal judges.

Federal courts do not require anyone to provide any personal information over the telephone or email. Most contact between a federal court and a prospective juror will be through the U.S. Mail, and any contact by real court officials will not include requests for Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, or any other personal information.

Citizens receiving such phone calls or emails should not provide the requested information and hang up on the caller.