There are a number of jury scams that have been widely reported in national news media and by the New Mexico Attorney General.
Several incidents have been reported in New Mexico and surrounding states. Please be aware these phony ploys are designed to separate you from your money and to gather your personal information.
Currently, there are four juror scams we are aware of. All of the scams start with a phone call. In three of the four scams, the person calling claims to be a court official. They are very insistent and intimidating.
Once they get you on the phone, they take one of several paths:
- Failed to appear for jury service
- The caller says you were scheduled to appear for jury service at Court and you failed to do so. The caller then states that he/she needs to verify it is really you and asks for your social security number and date of birth.
- Failed to appear for jury service, now there is a warrant for your arrest
- Same as above, except here the caller tells you there is a warrant for your arrest for failure to appear that you can take care of by giving them your credit card number or bank account number.
- We can deposit your jury check into your account
- No, we cannot! No one knows you are a juror unless you choose to tell them. What these callers are banking on is that you are one of the several thousand New Mexicans summoned every year and that you forgot about your jury check.
Please know that Court staff members do not call people asking for personal information such as social security numbers, bank account information or credit card numbers. If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be a court official who asks for ANY of the above information, it is not a legitimate call. Please do not give out any information and notify the Court at 505-841-8141 if you get any of these calls.
- No, we cannot! No one knows you are a juror unless you choose to tell them. What these callers are banking on is that you are one of the several thousand New Mexicans summoned every year and that you forgot about your jury check.
- Someone offering to do jury service for you for $50
- As you can imagine, this is illegal. This caller leaves a name and phone number so you can call them back. If you get a call like this, please do not erase the message and notify the Court at 505-841-8141 with the information.