Cape Girardeau County sheriff’s deputies warn of jury duty scam

CAPE GIRARDEAU COUNTY, Mo. (KBSI) – Cape Girardeau County sheriff’s deputies warn the public of a jury duty scam.

People in the county have received phone calls threatening arrest and fines for allegedly missing jury duty.

Sheriff’s deputies say these calls are scams seeking confidential information or money.

Law enforcement and Missouri courts do not require anyone to provide confidential information via telephone or e-mail.

Most contact between a Missouri court and a potential juror will be through postal mail.

Some courts may provide a call-in number for potential jurors to listen to a recording to see if they must report on a particular day as a service for potential jurors.

Courts implementing the Show-Me jury system allows a potential juror to request a court conduct follow-up communication by e-mail or text message. The initial communication from the court to the potential juror will always be by postal mail, according to sheriff’s deputies.

This is a safety measure to ensure the legitimacy of the communication and your protection from fraudulent attempts.

Any telephone call or e-mail threatening the recipient with fines or jail time for failure to comply is fraudulent.