Poster from National Center for State Courts

© Washington Administrative Office of the Courts.

Tarrant County has already posted about “jury service scams.” In the post, the county makes clear a representative will not contact you by phone to pay a fine for failure to appear. Jury scams have been reported around the country. The National Center for State Courts has posted information about various scams.

As a new twist, likely in response to the Tarrant County post, scamming callers are claiming they are a Tarrant County Sheriff’s deputy enforcing federal jury service. The Northern District of Texas has a page dedicated to those with questions about jury service. If you receive a legitimate summons you can visit their page for information. The page also instructs those concerned about a “bogus” attempt to collect fines for missed jury service to contact the Jury Office for the court:

Dallas: The jury office at (214) 753-2280.
Fort Worth: The jury office at (817) 850-6620 or (817) 850-6601.

Do not be a victim of jury service scam. However, if you are accused of perpetrating a “jury scam” or “bogus” attempt to collect fines then do not speak to law enforcement without first consulting a criminal defense attorney. I know a great Fort Worth criminal defense attorney located at 300 Throckmorton Street, Suite 500, Fort Worth, Texas 76102. You can schedule a consultation by calling (817) 810-9395.