I got a "jury duty" notice. The court had never heard of it.

A letter with court letterhead said I had failed to appear for jury duty and owed an immediate fine to avoid a bench warrant.

I travel for work and worried I had missed a summons in the mail pile.

The phone number on the sheet connected to a “clerk” who took my card payment over the phone and said the warrant would clear overnight.

I paid hundreds before I thought to open the county website.

Jury duty scams fabricate missed appearance fines; real courts do not demand instant card payment by phone to cancel warrants.

The letterhead and case ID were forged.

While I paid I was afraid of arrest and a mark on my record; challenging the caller felt riskier than complying.

The real clerk at the courthouse directory said I was not in the jury pool for that term and they do not send letters like that.

I felt manipulated through fear of the law itself; anger fuelled the police report I filed the same week.

I verify any court contact by calling the published court number from the official .gov site—never the one on a cold letter.

• Real jury notices come through official mail; verify in person or via the court website.
• Report jury scams to local police and consumer fraud lines.

For more help, see our Report a scam page and Spot and avoid scams guide.