Office of Communications and Public Affairs
2011-D Commerce Park Drive
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
410-260-1488

Judiciary Warns of “Jury Duty” Telephone Scam

(ANNAPOLIS, Md. – May 1, 2014) The Maryland Judiciary wants to warn the public about a telephone scam that falsely claims to be from Prince George’s County Circuit Court. The caller tells the person he or she has been charged with contempt for not reporting for jury duty, refers to a Prince George’s County Circuit judge by name, and demands payment over the phone using a pre-paid card.

“This is absolutely a scam. The court simply does not operate this way,” said Prince George’s County Circuit Judge Sheila R. Tillerson Adams, Circuit and County Administrative Judge. “The court would never call a citizen and attempt to enforce a fine or threaten contempt.”

Judge Adams explained. “If there was an issue with jury service, the court would send a notice in the mail and require the citizen to appear in court. If a fine or penalty were to be assessed, the citizen would be advised by the judge in person in court.”

If you receive a phone call about jury service fines, hang up and disregard the call. You can check your status as a juror or report any suspicious jury duty telephone calls to the Prince George’s County Circuit Court jury office, 301-952-4385.

More information about how to recognize, report, and prevent becoming a victim of telephone scams is available through the Federal Trade Commission website. (Web address: consumer.ftc.gov/scams)

# # #