An “elaborate and very believable” phone scam is being used by fraudsters looking for payment for missing jury duty, Maricopa County officials said.

“The phone scam is elaborate and very believable. The fraudsters misrepresent themselves as law enforcement and threaten people with jail if they don’t pay their fines. They will even go as far as providing the name of a real detective,” Jury Administrator Matthew Martin said.

“If you receive one of these calls, please disconnect and reach out to us to verify any claims being made.” 

In the Superior Court for Maricopa County, fines associated with missing jury duty can only be ordered by a judge in court – not over the phone, according to a release.

The scammers will usually demand payment via prepaid debit card, the release stated.

In previous years, the jury office received envelopes in the mail with prepaid cards from community members as proof they had paid their fines by phone.

“We had a juror send us a receipt for a payment in the amount of $300 for failure to appear to jury service. We hadn’t even summoned this juror, but the scam caller told them they missed their date of service and owed a fine,” Martin said.

If targeted by a jury scam, write down the phone number of the caller and then call police.

When in doubt, a person may verify their jury service status by calling the jury office at 602-506-5879.

To learn more about jury service and how to respond to a jury summons in Maricopa County, visit: https://superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/jury/