A badge signifies that someone is on jury duty in Duval County. | Michelle Corum, Jacksonville Today
Published on January 7, 2026 at 10:56 am
Free local news and info, in your inbox at 6 a.m. M-F. Sign up for the Jacksonville Today newsletter.
Q: Jacksonville Today reader Lois B. got a telephone call recently about her missing jury duty, and it just did not ring true, she says.
The caller said she did not show up for jury duty and now she would have to go to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office immediately.
Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.
The judge, she was told, “was being tough on people who didn’t show up and I would have to come down and verify that my signature was forged. (They supposedly had my signature on the form that said I was coming.)”
“I questioned if this was a scam, and he said I wasn’t being cooperative.”
Lois said the caller put someone else on the phone, supposedly a sheriff.
She realized the call was a scam and called the Sheriff’s Office to report it.
Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.
Police told Lois “they are getting several calls from other people,” she says. “Some people have come down there, and others have paid money or gift cards.”
A: Jacksonville Today confirmed the scam with police and the Duval County clerk of courts.
Clerk of courts spokesperson Brian Corrigan says the scam has been around for years and his office has warned the public about it. It’s also on the office’s Scam Alert page at Duvalclerk.gov – Scam Alerts.
“We had experienced an uptick in 2024 … but we haven’t had a significant number of inquiries through the clerk’s office about it recently,” Corrigan says.
READ MORE: That call you got from the IRS may be a scam
A news release from 2024 says most scam callers pretend to be a law enforcement officer, state attorney, court official or deputy clerk.
“Sometimes the callers are even sophisticated enough to use the name of an actual judge or public official,” the news release says. “The scammer will advise that a fine was imposed and if it is not paid, a warrant will be issued for your arrest. To resolve the problem, they may ask for your bank account number or suggest purchasing a prepaid debit card or cryptocurrency.”
Do not do this, the clerk’s office says. The clerk’s office and law enforcement officers do not call or email residents to request payment for missing jury duty or court obligations. Any communication from those offices related to a legal matter will always be in writing.
Christian Hancock, media relations manager for the Sheriff’s Office, says complaints about the scam are common.
“I don’t believe they are any more or less prevalent, but we do get reports of these types of scams routinely,” Hancock says. “We would always recommend citizens call if they feel they have been victimized to have the information documented.”
Hancock says the office will continue to make the public aware of the scam, but “these individuals prey on those that may not be aware of procedure or may be more vulnerable.”
The Sheriff’s Office would never call someone “and threaten them with penalties to include jail if they don’t relinquish personal information and/or monetary amounts,” Hancock says.
Anyone who gets a questionable caller claiming missed court obligations and demanding payment should call the Clerk’s Office at (904) 255-2000 or report the call to the Sheriff’s Office’s non-emergency line at (904) 630-0500.
“
