CLEVELAND — Cuyahoga County officials are taking steps to let residents know about a scam related to being called for jury duty.
THE QUESTION
Today, we're VERIFYING the question: "If I miss jury duty, will I get a phone call warning me that I'll be arrested if I don't pay a fine?"
SOURCES
Our sources are:
- Cuyahoga County Department of Consumer Affairs
- Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court
- Cleveland Division of Police
EXPLANATION
On the Cuyahoga County Department of Consumer Affairs website, there's a warning about scammers impersonating court and police officials that reads, "If you receive a call telling you that you're about to be arrested because you missed jury duty, hang up. It's a scam."
Department Director Sheryl Harris told me over the phone that scammers are calling people and telling them they’ve missed jury duty, and that they need to stay on the phone with them while they head to the Justice Center immediately. Once the target gets in their car, the scammers tell them the judge got called into a hearing, so they can't fix the problem by showing up any more, and they can only avoid being arrested by sending them money (usually on a gift card or in the form of Bitcoin).
"Police never call people to threaten them with arrest or to demand immediate payment," Harris says.
Cleveland Division of Police Public Information Officer Sergeant Wilfredo Diaz confirmed that, adding, "The police do not have any involvement in jury duty and would not call anyone related to the court process."
As the Department of Consumer Affairs explains, "Courts notify people of jury duty or court appearances by mail."
Cuyahoga County Court spokesperson Darren Toms also said, "If someone fails to show up for jury duty, we will send you a new summons.”
That's it. You won't be getting a phone call, and there's no risk you'll be arrested for missing jury duty one time.
ANSWER
So we can VERIFY that answer to the question we started with is no. If you miss jury duty, you will not get a phone call warning you that you'll be arrested if you don't pay a fine.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
On the Cuyahoga County Court's web page devoted to "what to expect during jury duty," they also bring up this scam. They spell out a message reading, "The court and Sheriff's department will never contact you and ask for personal information or money. Do not respond to calls or emails that demand personal information or payments."
If you experience this, you can call and report this scam to the Cuyahoga County Scam Squad at 216-443-SCAM, or 216-443-7226.