Judges warning about jury telelphone scams

However, ignoring jury summons is a crime

Escambia County (Ala.) Circuit Judges Todd Stearns and Jeff White want to warn residents of a potential scam concerning jury duty, but also want to warn residents that ignoring jury service summons does have legal consequences.

Judge White said there apparently is a scam where people receive telephone calls threatening criminal prosecution for not showing up for jury duty.

Judge White said the scam normally starts with threatening the person of being jailed for not showing up for jury duty, but going to jail can be avoided by paying a fine over the telephone.

“A threatening phone call will nev...