Scammers sometimes call or text pretending to be courts or government offices. They claim you missed jury duty and owe money right away, or you'll be arrested. This is a common tactic to scare you into paying fast. Real courts don't work this way.
Fake example
“URGENT: You failed to appear for jury duty on 3/15. You owe $450 in fines. Respond within 24 hours or a warrant will be issued. Pay here: jury-fine-payment.example or call 555-0147.”
A typical fake jury duty fine text.
How to tell
Demanding payment by phone, text, or email before any court hearing
Threatening arrest or a warrant if you don't pay immediately
Asking you to pay by gift card, wire transfer, or a link in the message
Pressure to act within hours or by a deadline
No official court letterhead or case number—just a vague claim
What to do
1Contact whoever you paid through right away — your bank, the gift-card company, or the app you used — and say it was a scam.
2For a gift card, keep the card and the receipt and call the number on the back of the card to report it.
3The sooner you report it, the better the chance of stopping or getting some of it back.
If you already did this
Some payments can be stopped or reversed if you act fast, so make the calls now rather than waiting.
Report it to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov — it helps, and it is free.
Do not be embarrassed, and do not keep it to yourself. These are built to fool careful people. Acting quickly matters far more than how it happened.
Worth remembering: Real courts notify you by mail and give you time to respond in writing—they never demand payment over the phone or threaten instant arrest to collect fines.