The Josephine County Circuit Court is warning the public to be wary of scammers calling residents and claiming they owe money because they missed jury duty.
According to the Oregon Judicial Department, reports have come to the court regarding scammers threatening residents with arrest if they don't pay a fine after supposedly missing jury duty. The scammers can sometimes make it appear the call is coming from the court's phone number and pretend to represent the court.
As a reminder, Oregon's state courts will never threaten you or demand money in relation to jury service. They won't require you to pay money to respond to a jury summons or to complete your online questionnaire. The courts also won't require you to provide sensitive information over the phone, email, or text.
Oregon state courts may text you with jury notices and reminders. However, these texts will not request personal information, make threats, or demand money.
If you get a call or other message that demands information or money, hang up, and do not reply directly to the text or email, click on any links, or open any attachments.
If the website links are not an official Oregon Judicial Department website, do not click on it or use it. The official webpages have “courts.oregon.gov” in the web address. When in doubt, reach out directly to the court or law enforcement to see if the call was real, or to report the scam.
