This week, I issued a Consumer Alert with some alarming news about a rise in jury duty scams in Florida.

Reports of jury duty scams have surfaced in at least five Florida counties in the past year—two of those warnings coming in this month alone.

Scammers are calling targets claiming they missed a jury duty report date and must make immediate payment to avoid going to jail, even though failure to appear for jury duty is not grounds for immediate arrest.

Court officials will also never demand payment over the phone or ask that payment be wired or made through a gift card.

There are few civic duties as important to our judicial system as serving on a jury. As a former judge, I’m livid that anyone would exploit this honorable process to scare citizens into paying a ransom.

Below are several tips to guard against jury duty scams:

• Know that jury duty summons will only come by mail;
• If no jury duty summons is received, then ignore a phone call from anyone claiming to be calling about jury duty;
• Never give personal or financial information over the phone to a stranger, especially if the caller acts aggressively; and
• Be wary of Caller ID, as this can be spoofed, making a phone call look like it is coming from a real source.

Learn more about jury duty scams by visiting MyFloridaLegal.com/ConsumerAlert and report any suspicious phone calls to my office.

By working together to spot fraud and stop scams, we will build a Stronger, Safer Florida.