Chief U.S. District Judge Jane E. Magnus-Stinson and U.S. Attorney Josh Minkler warn the public of a nationwide scam in which the callers pose as U.S. Marshals or other government officials and claim that the victim is about to be arrested for not appearing for jury duty, but can avoid arrest by paying a fine.
The scammers often provide information that seems very convincing, including the real names of federal judges or court employees, the location of the courthouse, and case and badge numbers. The caller then tells the victim they can avoid arrest by paying an immediate fine and walks them through purchasing a prepaid debit or gift card or making an electronic payment.
On behalf of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Chief Judge Magnus-Stinson said, “The people conducting this scam can be very convincing. They call their law-abiding victims and terrify them with threats of arrest and jail unless they pay up immediately. The U.S. Courts do not operate this way. In no instance will a court official, U.S. Marshal or other government employee contact someone and demand payment or personal information by phone or email. This is a scam, and a lot of people are being hurt.”
“Those who take advantage of trusting citizens must know that there is zero tolerance for this type of behavior,” said Minkler. “Fraudsters and other scammers will face the full force of federal law enforcement for such activity.”
Residents of the Southern District of Indiana (which includes Marion County) who believe they have been the victim of such a scam are encouraged to report the incident to the District Court Clerk’s Office at 317-229-3700; the Federal Trade Commission at ftccomplaintassistant.gov; and the U.S. Marshals Service at 317-226-6566.
Here is additional information on things to remember, who to call, and what to do if you are contacted by a scammer:
– A court will never ask for a credit/debit card number, wire transfers or bank routing numbers over the phone for any purpose.
– A prospective juror who disregards a summons will be contacted by the District Court Clerk’s Office by mail and may, in certain circumstances, be ordered to appear before a judge.
– A fine will never be imposed until after an individual has appeared in court and been given the opportunity to explain a failure to appear.
– Do not divulge personal information or financial information to unknown callers.
– You can report scams anonymously to the District Court Clerk’s Office, U.S. Marshals Service or Federal Trade Commission.
– You can authenticate a call by contacting the Clerk’s Office of the U.S. District Court in Indianapolis at 317-229-3700 to verify that you were not summoned for jury duty and that the scam call did not come from the court.
