Guide Government impostors
Jury Duty and Arrest Warrant Scams: What Police Never Do
Callers posing as deputies or federal agents say you missed jury duty or face arrest and must pay now — sometimes on a video call. How to tell it's fake.
By Nathan Fielder Checked against official sources
Published
Quick answer
In jury duty and arrest warrant scams, a caller posing as a sheriff, marshal or federal agent says you missed jury duty or have a warrant and must pay a fine now — sometimes keeping you on a video call. Law enforcement never calls or texts to demand payment. Hang up and call your local court or police directly.
A jury duty scam starts with a call from someone posing as a deputy, marshal or federal agent who says you missed jury duty and face arrest unless you pay. Calls like this are frightening by design. From January 2025 through July 2026, the FBI received 6,833 complaints about jury duty and missed-court-date scams, with nearly $36 million in losses.
This guide explains how these calls work and how to check with your court. For other agencies scammers pretend to be, see our guide to government impostor scams.
How do jury duty and warrant scams work?
A caller pretending to be law enforcement says you missed jury duty or a court date, or are connected to a crime, and must pay to avoid arrest. The FBI counts these among a wave of law enforcement and government impersonation scams. From January 2025 through July 2026, it received nearly 61,000 such complaints with losses of more than $1.6 billion. Jury duty and missed-court-date scams alone accounted for 6,833 complaints and nearly $36 million in losses in that period.
The FTC says most jury duty scams start with an “urgent” call from someone claiming to be a U.S. Marshal or a local police officer. They may already know your full name or address. Now scammers also text or email a document that looks like an official arrest warrant, complete with the amount you “owe.”
The FBI describes the pressure tactics:
- An urgent, aggressive tone.
- Refusing to talk to anyone but you.
- Keeping you on the phone for the entire scam.
- Telling you not to tell family, friends, your bank or the police.
- Demanding payment by prepaid cards, couriers, bank wires, cryptocurrency or cash fed into a crypto kiosk.
Caller: This is Sergeant Daniel Moore, county sheriff’s office, warrants division. Our records show you failed to report for federal jury service on the 12th. A bench warrant has been issued for your arrest.
Caller: You can resolve this today by posting a $2,400 compliance bond. Stay on the line with me while you go to your bank — if this call disconnects, officers will be dispatched to your address.
What other “official” threats do these scammers use?
The same callers use other official-sounding problems. In its September 2026 alert, the FBI said that from January 2025 through July 2026 it received 496 complaints about scammers who claimed a victim’s passport, driver’s license or professional license was expiring and demanded payment to renew it, with losses of more than $348,000. It received 3,322 complaints about medical license scams, with losses of more than $37 million. A real agency won’t call to demand payment for a renewal; check with the agency yourself, using a number from its official website.
What is a “digital arrest”?
Some people use the term “digital arrest” for a newer version of this scam, in which the “officer” keeps you on the phone or on a video call for hours, sometimes days, and orders you not to talk to anyone while you move your money. The FBI warns that scammers now use artificial intelligence to appear as law enforcement and government officials on video calls, making the scam look more legitimate.
No real officer will hold you on a video call to collect money. If anyone tells you that you’re “under investigation” and must stay on camera, end the call.
Would police ever call you to pay a fine?
No. Official guidance is clear:
- The FBI: Law enforcement and government authorities will never contact the public by phone or text to demand any form of payment or ask for personal or sensitive information, and will never request payment by prepaid card, cryptocurrency or courier.
- The FTC: Real law enforcement will never text or email you an arrest warrant, won’t call to say they’ll arrest you, and won’t threaten arrest if you hang up. Courts never demand payment over the phone.
- The U.S. Courts: Most contact between a federal court and a prospective juror is by U.S. mail, and federal courts don’t require sensitive information in a phone call or email.
How do you check with your court?
Hang up, then do your own checking:
- Find the number yourself. Look up your county court clerk or local police department on its official website. For federal jury service, the U.S. Courts’ Federal Court Finder lists contact information for every federal court.
- Call and ask whether there’s any record of a missed jury summons or warrant in your name.
- Don’t use the caller’s number, and don’t trust caller ID. The FBI says scammers spoof authentic phone numbers and employee names. Read how caller ID spoofing works.
If someone sends you a link, check it carefully. The FBI warns that scammers use web addresses that closely mirror official ones, such as .com in place of .gov.
What if you already paid?
Stop all contact and call your bank or the company you used to pay right away. The FBI asks victims to notify their financial institutions to protect their accounts and to report the scam. Then:
- Report it to the FBI at IC3.gov and to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
- If it was a fake federal court call, notify the clerk of court at your local U.S. District Court.
- If you shared your Social Security number or bank details, follow our steps for identity theft.
Our first-hour checklist after a scam covers each payment method, and our guide to reporting a scam call lists every place to report it.
Red flags: how to spot this scam
- A 'deputy,' 'marshal' or 'officer' says you missed jury duty or a court date and there's a warrant for your arrest.
- You must pay a fine right now — by payment app, crypto, gift card, wire or cash at a crypto kiosk — and stay on the line.
- You're told not to tell family, your bank or police, or you receive an 'arrest warrant' by text or email.
What to do
- Hang up. Real law enforcement doesn't call or text to demand payment.
- Look up your court clerk's or police department's number yourself and call to check.
- Never pay a 'fine' by gift card, crypto, payment app, wire transfer or courier.
- Don't give personal information such as your Social Security number or date of birth to the caller.
- Report the call to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to the FBI at IC3.gov; notify your bank if you paid.
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Where to report it
Reporting helps investigators spot patterns and warn others — even if you did not lose money. Type these addresses yourself or use the links below; do not use links from a suspicious message.
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Social Security Office of the Inspector General
Calls, letters or messages from people pretending to be Social Security.
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Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA)
Phone calls from people pretending to be the IRS.
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IRS — report fake IRS emails and messages
Emails and texts that pretend to come from the IRS or the Treasury.
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HHS Office of Inspector General
Medicare and Medicaid fraud, including people asking for your Medicare number.
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Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Any scam, fraud or bad business practice — calls, texts, emails, websites and impostors.
You can also report to your state attorney general. If you sent money, call your bank or card company right away using the number on the back of your card.
Frequently asked questions
Can you be arrested over the phone for missing jury duty?
No. The FTC says real law enforcement officers won't call to say they'll arrest you, won't threaten to arrest you if you hang up, and will never text or email you an arrest warrant. Federal courts say most contact with prospective jurors is by U.S. mail.
Do police or courts accept payment by phone, gift card or crypto?
No. The FTC says courts never demand payment over the phone, and the FBI says law enforcement and government officials will never request payment by prepaid card, cryptocurrency or courier.
Why did the caller ID show my sheriff's office?
Caller ID can be faked. The FBI says scammers often spoof real phone numbers, employee names and credentials of well-known agencies. Hang up and call the office back using a number you look up yourself.
Where do I report a fake officer?
Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to the FBI at IC3.gov. For a fake federal juror call, the U.S. Courts also ask you to notify the clerk of court at your local U.S. District Court.
Sources
We rely on official government sources. Read how we check facts in our editorial policy.
- FBI IC3 PSA I-091726-PSA: Scammers Impersonating Law Enforcement and Government Officials in Fraud Schemes (Sept. 17, 2026) (ic3.gov, accessed )
- FTC consumer alert: Ignore calls, texts, and emails threatening to arrest you for missing jury duty (June 11, 2026) (consumer.ftc.gov, accessed )
- United States Courts: Juror Scams (uscourts.gov, accessed )
- FTC: How To Avoid a Government Impersonation Scam (consumer.ftc.gov, accessed )
- FCC: Caller ID Spoofing (fcc.gov, accessed )
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