LINDEN

A caller says you missed jury duty and there is a warrant.

Jury duty and warrant scams use fake officials who demand a fine or fee by phone. This post explains the warning signs and what to do.

Source: This post is based on the public service announcement Scammers Impersonating Law Enforcement and Government Officials in Fraud Schemes, published by the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) on September 17, 2026.

The phone rings and the caller sounds official. They say you missed jury duty or a court date, that there is a warrant for your arrest, or that your passport or licence is about to expire, and that a payment today will sort it out. This is a government impersonation scam, often called a jury duty scam. Hang up, do not pay, and call the court or agency yourself on a number you look up.

The FBI’s IC3 warned about these calls on September 17, 2026. It says law enforcement and government authorities will never call or text to demand any form of payment, and will never ask for payment by prepaid card, cryptocurrency or courier.

What the scam looks like

The FBI says scammers mostly make unsolicited phone calls, but also use texts and emails. They often spoof real phone numbers, email addresses, employee names and credentials of well-known agencies. They may sound urgent and aggressive, refuse to speak to anyone but you, keep you on the phone for the whole scam, and tell you not to tell family, friends, your bank or the police.

The FBI describes several stories these callers use:

  • Missed jury duty or a missed court date. The caller says you did not report for jury duty and threatens a fine, or says you missed a court date and there is a warrant for your arrest unless you pay. The FBI says it received 6,833 complaints about this kind of scam between January 2025 and July 2026, with losses of nearly $36 million.
  • An expiring passport or licence. The caller says your passport, driver’s licence or professional licence is expiring and demands payment to renew it. The FBI received 496 complaints about this between January 2025 and July 2026, with losses of more than $348,000.
  • A crime linked to your name. Most government impersonation complaints involve a caller who accuses the person of a crime and threatens arrest unless they pay.

The FBI says scammers ask for payment through prepaid cards, couriers, bank wires, cryptocurrency, or cash put into cryptocurrency kiosks. Some use artificial intelligence to appear as officials on video calls. If a caller offers to send someone to collect cash or cards, read about courier fraud.

Who it targets

Anyone can receive these calls. The FBI says scammers may tailor their stories, for example telling medical practitioners that their licence is expiring, or threatening people from other countries with extradition. Overall, the FBI received nearly 61,000 complaints of law enforcement or government impersonation scams between January 2025 and July 2026, with losses of more than $1.6 billion.

Warning signs

  • A call or text saying you missed jury duty or a court date.
  • A threat of arrest, a fine or a warrant unless you pay now.
  • A claim that your passport or licence is expiring and must be renewed by phone.
  • A demand for payment by prepaid card, cryptocurrency, a crypto kiosk, a wire or a courier.
  • Being told to stay on the line and not tell anyone, including your bank.
  • An official-looking number or name on the screen. The FBI says these are often spoofed.
  • A web link with an address that is close to, but not the same as, the official one.

How to protect yourself

  • Know what officials do. The FBI says law enforcement and government authorities will never contact the public by phone or text to demand any form of payment or to ask for personal or sensitive information.
  • Never pay this way. The FBI says officials will never ask for payment by prepaid card, cryptocurrency or courier.
  • Check for yourself. Ask for credentials, then contact the agency using official, publicly available information, not details the caller gives you.
  • Check links carefully before clicking. The FBI says scammers use addresses that closely mirror official ones, such as .com instead of .gov.
  • Do not give personal information to anyone until you have confirmed who they are.

A simple family plan

  • Talk about jury duty. Let older relatives know that a missed summons is not settled with a phone payment.
  • Agree a call-me-first rule for any call that mentions arrest, warrants or fines.
  • Keep official numbers handy, such as the local court and police non-emergency line.
  • Remind each other that secrecy is a red flag. A real official will not tell you to keep it from your family.

Scams don’t stop at borders

This alert comes from the United States, but callers posing as police or court officials who demand fines turn up in other countries too, including Canada. Wherever you live, it is worth staying informed and taking a calm pause before sending money to anyone who threatens arrest over the phone.

The same pattern elsewhere

In Canada, University RCMP in British Columbia warned about fraudsters posing as police and seeking cryptocurrency on May 1, 2026. It said callers often claim the person is under investigation, owes fines, or has had their identity linked to crime, and tell them to send cryptocurrency to avoid arrest. Staff Sergeant Matt Wrobel said police “will never demand payment in cryptocurrency, gift cards, or electronic transfers”. The RCMP encouraged families to discuss these scams with seniors, who are frequently targeted.

What to do if you’ve been affected

If you have paid or shared details, please do not feel ashamed. These callers are practised at sounding official. The FBI says to stop all contact with the scammers right away and keep your records and messages. Then:

  • US: contact your local police and file a complaint with the FBI’s IC3, and report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If you are 60 or older and need help filing with IC3, call the DOJ Elder Justice Hotline on 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311).
  • UK: call 159 to reach your bank (Stop Scams UK) and report to Report Fraud or on 0300 123 2040.
  • Canada: report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and to your local police.
  • Contact your bank on the number printed on your card or statement, not a number from the call or the text.

How Linden helps

Linden is being built so older adults and their families can talk a money decision through with someone they trust. A threatening call loses much of its power when there is someone to ring before any payment is made.

Sources

All scams