Jacksonville residents are getting hit with a fresh wave of phony jury duty calls, as scammers pose as real officers and claim people “missed jury duty” and now owe a cash bond, according to the sheriff’s office. The callers are reportedly dropping the names of actual deputies and rattling off citation numbers that look like federal paperwork to make the story sound legit. Authorities say the whole thing is a scam and are urging residents not to send money or hand over financial information.
How the scam works
According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, scammers are calling residents, claiming they skipped a jury date and now have to pay immediately. To crank up the pressure, they sometimes give out a fake citation number that appears to be from the U.S. District Court in Jacksonville and use the names of real officers to sound convincing. The callers often push for fast payment through cash, prepaid cards, or other methods that cannot be reversed. JSO’s message is clear: do not follow their instructions, and check any suspicious claim through official channels instead.
Federal courts won’t call to collect money
Federal court officials say the judiciary does not call or email people to demand money or ask for private financial details. A media release from the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida reminds residents that legitimate jury communication happens by mail or through the court’s eJuror system, not unexpected phone calls or texts. The warning and reporting guidance are laid out in the U.S. District Court advisory.
Verify before you act
If a call feels off, hang up and confirm it yourself instead of arguing with the caller. You can contact the sheriff’s office or the courthouse directly using trusted numbers, not anything provided in the call. JSO lists its non-emergency number as (904) 630-0500 for verification and local questions, and staff at the federal courthouse in downtown Jacksonville can confirm your jury status. For an online summary of the warning and the same reminders, check the JSO site.
How to report and recover
If you were targeted or lost money, officials urge you to report it to local law enforcement and also to federal agencies so investigators can spot patterns. Federal prosecutors and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida recommend filing complaints with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center and the Federal Trade Commission; those details are outlined in the U.S. Attorney’s Office advisory. You can start a report at IC3.gov and reportfraud.ftc.gov.
Local history and next steps
This jury-duty impostor scheme has been circulating around Northeast Florida for months, and local outlets have repeatedly flagged it as officials keep reminding residents to ignore payment demands. For background, see recent local reporting from News4Jax and earlier jury duty scam coverage. Keep call logs, voicemails, and screenshots whenever possible, and share them with investigators if you think you have been targeted.
