Mecklenburg County Courthouse

Oct. 30. Mecklenburg County is warning residents about a jury service scam following reports of suspicious calls, texts, and emails claiming recipients failed to appear for jury duty and face fines or arrest.

County officials said senior citizens are often targeted in these scams, which typically involve requests for payment through gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency.

Residents are urged to hang up or ignore such communications and not provide personal information or payment.

“We want our residents to be aware so if they get one of these suspicious and threatening calls, they know it’s a scam,” said Sonya Harper, director of Mecklenburg County Criminal Justice Services. “While many people have heard of these scams and know to avoid them, some residents fall victim to the calls, texts, and emails.”

In North Carolina, jury summonses and failure-to-appear notices are delivered only by first-class mail to a resident’s home or post office box—never by phone, text, or email.

Officials added that the false calls often occur at night when courthouse offices are closed and warned that caller ID can be manipulated to appear as a local or legitimate number.