Law enforcement warns Maryland Judiciary of new jury duty scam

The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office has issued a warning to the Maryland Judiciary regarding a newly reported telephone scam. [UPDATE: As of May 22, 2019, this scam has been reported in Carroll and Howard counties, and may be occurring elsewhere, as well.]

Members of the general public are receiving calls notifying them a bench warrant has been issued for their arrest because they have failed to appear for jury duty. The caller instructs the intended victim to withdraw cash and submit a payment to clear the warrant.

This call is a scam. Local law enforcement and the Jury Commissioner’s Office will never call to request payment in the place of a warrant or summons.

Anyone receiving such a call should hang up immediately. If you receive a call like this and are concerned about a possible warrant, contact the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office at 410-386-5900.

Additional information for jurors in Carroll County can be located on the Jury Commissioner’s Office webpage of the Carroll County Circuit Court website. (https://circuitcourt.carrollcountymd.gov/jury.aspx)

People affected by this or other scams may also contact the Office of the Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division, at 410-528-8662 or toll free 888-743-0023.

Reminder: Courts do not call people to notify them about a bench warrant and they do not instruct them to provide their Social Security number. Additionally, courts do not call or email people to obtain payments or personal information. Courts do not request credit card or PayPal payments by email or telephone. As a general reminder, do not provide any personal, credit card, or bank information to a caller or in response to an email claiming to be from a court. If you have received a call or email about a court case or a warrant for arrest, contact the district court or circuit court in your jurisdiction. Contact information for each court is available on the Maryland Judiciary website’s courts directory. (https://www.mdcourts.gov/courtsdirectory)

(08/30/2018)