Since Monday, the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court has received nearly 40 phone calls from people saying they were contacted in what appears to be a jury duty scam.

Callers reported that the suspected scammer identified themselves as a police lieutenant with a local law enforcement agency and told them that they failed to appear for jury duty and have a warrant out for their arrest or owe outstanding fines as a result. The majority of callers shared that the so-called lieutenant then directed them to a website to make a payment to clear up the matter. Some callers reported that they received emails with similar information.

“We want to remind the public that the court will never call or email threatening arrest or demanding cash in exchange for clearing court matters,” said Court Executive Officer Lissa Lowe.

Instead, the court mails hearing notices or summonses to appear for court or jury duty. If a bench warrant is issued for failure to appear, or for non-compliance with the Court’s orders, the bench warrant will be mailed. Anyone with a pending court case should verify that the court has a good mailing address on file.

If fines are owed, the court will send notification by mail through a court-issued summons or warrant. There are three ways to make a payment to the court: online, by mail or in-person.

“We have contacted the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office to report the calls received this week. Public information is easily accessible online, and scammers can sound legitimate by stringing a few things together. If you suspect that something doesn’t sound right, please call the court at (505) 841-8151 to verify,” added Lowe.

– Published December 20, 2024