CHARLESTON – Citizens in the Southern District of West Virginia are being targeted by phone calls and threatened with prosecution for failing to appear for jury service in federal court.
In this scam, the caller identifies himself as a representative of the court and asks for the victim by name. The caller tells the person that they failed to report for grand jury duty, that a bench warrant has been issued against them for their arrest and that there will be a fine.
The court says the dollar amount is substantial. The caller instructs the victim to immediately pay the fine by credit card or by obtaining a prepaid card. The caller provides a West Virginia call-back number with an extension and a court representative’s name. The victim is also given the option of personally appearing in federal court at 8:45 a.m. the next business day.
Court officials urge residents to know these calls are not from real court officials. The federal court does not call jurors (or anyone else) asking for fine payments, credit card numbers or any other personal information.
Those who receive one of these calls are asked to contact the FBI at (304) 346-2300.
For more information about potential jury scams, please visit our website at http://www.wvsd.uscourts.gov/notices-regarding-scams.