The jury duty scam, previously noted two weeks ago, has continued to cause problems in the Eastern District of Missouri. It has been reported that a person receives a call or message from someone identifying himself or herself as a Deputy U.S. Marshal or officer of the court. The caller states that you failed to report for jury duty, you are the subject of a criminal investigation, and that a warrant has been issued for your arrest. The caller then attempts to gain personal information for “verification purposes”—your birth date, social security number, maybe even a credit card number so you can pay a fine. The caller may even have some of your personal information already and ask that you provide your bank account number, or the caller may direct you to purchase a prepad PayPal card or wire the fine payment through Western Union. The caller may even threaten criminal prosecution or jail time. Do not provide this information. Federal courts do not require anyone to provide sensitive information in a telephone call or email. Most contact between a federal court and a prospective juror will be through the U.S. mail, and any phone contact by real court officials will not include requests for any sensitive personal information. If you or someone you know receives such a telephone call or email, do not provide the requested information.

Please notify the Clerk of Court's office of the U.S. District Court in your area. For the Eastern District of Missouri, please call 314-244-7900.