Callers say you missed jury duty, owe money. But it’s a scam

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — On Tuesday, a Kent County resident received a call from someone claiming to be a county employee, informing them they had missed jury duty and now owed $2,500.

It was a lie.

The caller, whose number came up with the county’s area code, demanded the victim pay the fine or bond money through an internet payment service. That victim reported the call to the Kent County 17th Circuit Court, which said the call was not legitimate.

It’s a scam that is common across West Michigan: A call with a familiar area code, or even the sheriff’s office number, comes in to a resident, accusing them of skipping jury duty. Then the scammers will threaten arrest unless the victim makes a large payment through an online service such as Zelle, Venmo or PayPal. Scammers may also ask for prepaid cards, Bitcoin or a money wire.

In Calhoun and Branch counties, the caller identified themselves as a sheriff’s deputy and even used real detectives’ names, court administrators said . In Ottawa County, the number was spoofed to match the sheriff’s office number or came up as “No caller ID.” The Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office said one victim sent over $800 to the scammers.

The scam has also been reported in Kalamazoo and Berrien counties, court administrators confirmed. While administrators in Muskegon, Van Buren, Ionia, Montcalm and Barry counties said they have not seen any confirmed reports of the jury duty scam, they warned residents to be aware and alert local law enforcement or the county court if they receive a similar call.

Many counties have posted warnings about the scam on their websites or Facebook pages. Kalamazoo Circuit Court/Probate Court Administrator Chad Kewish said he is even looking into adding a scam warning to jury summonses.

County courts will never seek money over the phone and jury duty communications and notices will always be sent through the mail. Law enforcement would never seek money on behalf of jury services, court administrators say.

If you receive a similar scam call, report it to local law enforcement or your county court.

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