JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Duval County Clerk of Courts is joining neighboring county clerk's offices and the U.S. court system in alerting area residents of a financial scam involving jury service.
The scam involves citizens being contacted by phone and being told they must pay a fine for failing to appear for jury duty. In some cases, they are told they will face arrest if a payment is not made.
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Court personnel generally do not make unsolicited phone calls in regards to jury service, nor do they make calls in an attempt to collect on fines or fees or to notify anyone of a failure to appear.
Correspondences directly from the clerk's office are done primarily through the mail. Court personnel do not make calls with the intent of threatening arrest.
Anyone who receives a phone call similar to this scam should take extreme caution and should not provide any identification or financial information. Those who receive such a call should document what they can (such as Caller ID info) and contact law enforcement. Residents can contact the clerk's office at 904-255-
2000 to verify if they owe any fines or fees.
The scam has been reported throughout the country and has surfaced in the federal court's South Florida district. The Nassau County Clerk of Courts said it has had one such case reported to its office, the only known occurrence in northeast Florida. In that case, the person did not give any money.