SAN ANTONIO — Missing jury duty can cost you. There are penalties for ignoring a summons.
“The law says that we can fine you anywhere between $100 to $1,000 or you can be found in contempt of court,” said Juliet Rabago Schulze, the chief central jury bailiff for Bexar County. “What that means is you disobeyed a court order.”
If you get a call, text, or email from law enforcement saying you did not show up for jury duty and now need to pay money or you will be arrested, you are likely getting scammed.
“We see it every six months to a year,” Schulze said. “And some people have actually paid. I think one of them paid up to $3,000 or $5,000.”
The only way you will be told you missed jury duty is by mail.
“The Secretary of State sends us your name and your address and that’s it,” Schulze said. “Your phone number, your email, your contact information doesn’t get sent to us by the Secretary of State.”
Oftentimes, the penalty for missing jury duty is not severe.
“Quite often, we don’t fine people,” Schulze said. “We give them another opportunity to fulfill their service. But before we can even assess any type of penalties, you are given the opportunity to call us. You’re given the opportunity to speak to a judge before imposing any type of penalties.”
The best thing do to is to confirm with the courts before you pay any fine. The court will never ask you to pay with gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers, or money transfer apps like Zelle, Cash App or Venmo.
“You have a civic duty to attend to but never rely on the unsolicited text or call because that’s already a red flag that you may be targeted,” said Jason Meza of the Better Business Bureau.
Note the only way you will be notified that you need to report for jury duty or that you missed it is by mail.
Report any other type of communication to police, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Better Business Bureau’s Scam Tracker. Never send money without first confirming with the courts you have a fine.