Jury-duty scam warning: Arizona woman loses more than $30,000

(InvestigateTV) — Missing jury duty can come with real consequences, including fines and jail time.

Scammers have taken advantage of that real fear, often posing as law enforcement to scare victims into handing over personal information, money or both.

Headlines across the country illustrate the issue as officials work to get the word out about this scam.

In Arizona, one woman hopes that sharing her experience will help warn others after she lost more than $30,000.

How the scam works

Kristine received a phone call in the early afternoon on July 7 from a man impersonating a police officer. He said that she missed jury duty.

“It sounds so realistic,” said Kristine, who is being identified only by her first name.

“According to them, if I paid the citations which they were trying to give me — failure to appear in court and contempt of court — if I paid those, then the judge would dismiss my case,” she said.

Kristine said she was instructed to go meet with a bond agent and pay up to $16,000 in citations or she would go to jail.

But the moment she got there, they told her she had to pay more. They told her she also had to pay bond to stay out of jail until she could meet with the judge.

“I said, this is insane, you told me this is what I owe, and they said, ‘It’s not a big deal, you’ll get it back. Just go to the bank,’” Kristine said.

Kristine was directed to stop at four different banks to collect $35,000 to pay the so-called bond. At that point, she said she knew something was wrong.

“They followed my car. They tracked all the mileage. I had to keep telling them where I was and how much I’d gone,” she said.

Arizona ranks high for impostor scams

Kristine is not the only person this has happened to.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, Arizona is ranked as the fourth worst state for so-called imposter scams, losing an estimated $766 million to fraudulent phone calls and payment apps.

Kristine hopes her story can help prevent others from falling victim to these scams and losing thousands of dollars.

“Just follow your gut. Because if I would have done that, it would’ve ended way sooner,” she said.

See the full story by Mickaela Castillo here.

Deputy records scammer’s call

One law enforcement agency in Oregon put out a warning after a scammer targeted one of its own deputies.

“I didn’t recognize the number, but I was a little suspicious just kind of going into it, you know, with my background in law enforcement,” Deputy David Huey of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said.

Deputy Huey quickly realized it was a scam but decided to play along and record the conversation.

The scammer told the actual deputy that he had missed jury duty and there was a warrant out for his arrest.

“That panel selection was actually scheduled last Monday, sir, you actually missed that panel selection,” the caller said.

The caller said Huey needed to go to the police station, listing the address of the sheriff’s office where Huey works every day.

After speaking to a supposed “higher up,” Deputy Huey was done playing along.

“Just out of curiosity, how many people fall for this scam?” Huey asked.

“Quite a bit more than you would think so,” the scammer replied.

See more on the story by Ezra Kaplan here.

How to protect yourself

According to the FTC, courts will never make you pay over the phone.

If you get a call like this, you should hang up and report the scam to report-fraud.ftc.gov.

In August 2025, the FTC put out a warning about a new twist on the jury duty scam.

The agency said scammers sometimes direct victims to a fake website where they’re instructed to enter personal information, such as a Social Security number, to “look up how much they owe.”

The FTC says real law enforcement officers will never call you to threaten your arrest.

If you think the call could be legitimate, hang up and search for the courthouse’s public phone number or website to contact the court.