JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Duval County Clerk of Courts is clearing up any confusion the public may have about what can happen if someone misses jury duty.
It comes in the wake of a recent increase in a scam claiming someone can be arrested if they do not pay a fine for failing to show up to fulfill their civic duty.
The fact is, if you do not appear for jury duty and have not been excused, you can be fined by the clerk’s office, but you will not be arrested.
“The sheriff’s office, the clerk’s office, we’re not going to call you and issue a fine over the phone,” explained Jody Phillips, Duval County’s Clerk of Courts. “It’s not going to happen,” he explained.
Phillips said the public should know that no legitimate person will call you over the phone to notify you about any fine and that a failure to pay that fine will not trigger an arrest warrant for you if you miss jury duty.
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He also said the clerk’s office does not accept prepaid cards or cryptocurrency as payment. Anyone who asks for those types of payments is scamming you.
While you may not think you could ever fall for the scam, Phillips warns con artists are masters at convincing people they are legitimate.
“They will actually use phone numbers that appear to be coming from a government office. They’ll identify themselves and sometimes in this case, with the judge’s name, maybe a public official, so they’re very sophisticated in what they do,” he explained.
If you receive one of these calls hang up. If you are not sure, you can always call the clerk’s office in the county where you reside.
Duval County Clerk of Courts can be reached by calling 904-255-2000 or by sending a message through the clerk’s website.
If you do miss jury duty, Phillips said you can call the clerk’s office to explain why and can postpone your service for up to six months.