The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina has seen an increase in fraudulent phone calls to residents claiming there is an arrest warrant against them for failing to appear for jury duty or as a witness in federal court. The scammer tells the victim that he or she can avoid arrest or other negative consequences by making a payment, which may include Zelle, Venmo, cryptocurrency, or purchasing a pre-paid card—such as a Green Dot card or gift card—and then giving the card number to the scammer.

The scammer may sound convincing and use real information about the victim, including their real address; real court addresses; and real names of law enforcement officers, court officials, and federal judges to make the scam appear more credible. Scammers may even “spoof” the phone number on caller ID so that the call falsely appears to be from a court number (such as 332-336-6000) or the number of another government agency. The scammer may pretend to be a U.S. Marshal, local sheriff, or other law enforcement officer. On request, some will even text a forged arrest warrant showing what appears to be an actual judge’s signature.

These phone calls are not from the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, the U.S. Marshals Service, or other law enforcement agencies. You should not provide the caller with any personal information, credit card numbers, pre-paid card numbers, or money.  Here are the facts:

• The court will always send a jury summons by U.S. Mail.
• The court and law enforcement will never demand payment over the phone.
• The court and law enforcement will never demand payment over the phone or a gift card number to satisfy an obligation.
• A prospective juror who disregards a jury summons will be contacted through the mail by the Clerk’s Office and may, in certain circumstances, be ordered to appear before a judge. Such an order will always be in writing and signed by the judge.
• A fine will never be imposed until after the individual has appeared in court and been given the opportunity to explain his or her circumstances. If a fine is imposed, it will be in open court and reduced to writing (and will not be payable by Zelle or gift card number).

If you believe you have received a scam phone call and wish to verify whether you have been summoned for federal jury duty, contact the Clerk’s Office’s Jury Administrator at 336-332-6050. To determine whether there is a court order against you, call the Clerk’s Office at 336-332-6000.

Additional information about these and other scams are available from the U.S. Marshals Service.