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RALEIGH – Residents in several North Carolina counties are receiving jury service scam phone calls from someone posing as law enforcement. The caller informs them that they have failed to respond to a jury summons, an order has been issued for their arrest, and that they need to pay a large fee to avoid arrest or jail time. THIS IS A SCAM.

Scammers are very convincing and often have your name and address, use the name of a real judge and / or law enforcement officers, and refer to local locations to make you believe the call is legitimate. They may even have faked the phone number of the courthouse or Sheriff’s Office.

In North Carolina, jury summonses are issued by U.S. mail. If you fail to appear for jury service, you cannot be fined by telephone or email. Any phone call stating that a (bench) warrant has been issued for your arrest due to not reporting for jury service is a scam.

It is a scam if payment by telephone is demanded to satisfy the bench warrant. Court staff and / or the Sheriff’s Office do not call or email citizens requesting Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, money, pre–paid debit card numbers, payments by money grams, or any other sensitive financial information.

If you receive such a call, HANG UP without providing any information about yourself or taking any action.

You can confirm if you have been selected for jury service or failed to appear by contacting the clerk of superior court office in your county.

Report any suspicious calls (or emails) to your local Sheriff’s Office. Victims may also report it to the N.C. Attorney General’s Office or call 1-877-5-NO-SCAM.