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N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts issued the following news release:

Mecklenburg County residents are receiving jury service scam phone calls from someone posing as law enforcement. The caller informs them that they have failed to respond to a jury summons, an order has been issued for their arrest, and that they need to pay a large fee using gift cards in order to avoid arrest or jail time. This is a scam.

• Scammers are very convincing and often have your name and address, use the name of a real judge and / or law enforcement officers, and refer to local locations to make you believe the call is legitimate. They may even have faked the phone number of the courthouse or Sheriff’s Office.
• In North Carolina, jury summonses are issued by U.S. mail. If you fail to appear for jury service, you cannot be fined by telephone or email. Any phone call stating that a (bench) warrant has been issued for your arrest due to not reporting for jury service is a scam.
• It is a scam if payment by telephone is demanded to satisfy the bench warrant. Court staff and / or the Sheriff’s Office do not call or email citizens requesting Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, money, pre-paid debit card numbers, payments by money grams, or any other sensitive financial information.
• If you receive such a call, hang up without providing any information about yourself or taking any action.
• You can confirm if you have been selected for jury service or failed to appear by contacting the clerk of superior court office in your county.
• Report any suspicious calls (or emails) to your local Sheriff’s Office. Victims may also report it to the N.C. Attorney General’s Office or call 1-877-5-NO-SCAM.

Learn how to avoid the jury duty scam

Learn about jury service in North Carolina