SAN DIEGO — A telephone scam has been circulating in which callers threaten arrests or fines for people missing jury duty, San Diego Superior Court officials said Wednesday.
Scammers posing as court officials have been calling county residents and instructing them to pay fines to avoid jail for alleged violations like "failure to appear" or "contempt of court," according to the San Diego Superior Court.
Some victims have been told they must get money orders or cash and then meet a "court clerk" at or near a specific county courthouse in order to pay the outstanding warrant fine.
The callers sometimes have the address of the person they call in order to make the scam appear legitimate.
The public should be wary of calls from people identifying themselves as court staff or insisting that they will be arrested because of missed jury duty. Those who receive such a phone call should hang up and if the scammer persists, contact local law enforcement.
"We want the public to know that the court does not make telephone calls to ask for money or threaten arrest," said Michael Roddy, San Diego Superior Court executive officer. "Legitimate court matters are handled via written notices, not with strong-armed intimidation over the phone. Additionally, real fines or fees can be paid in cash, check, or credit card at the business offices, checks or credit card authorizations can be mailed in, and many payments can be made online too. Court staff will not insist on cash, gift card or money order payments."
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