ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla., June 21, 2022 — The St. Johns County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller’s Office is warning residents about fraudulent phone calls from scammers claiming to be representatives of the Clerk’s office or law enforcement.

The Clerk’s office has received calls from concerned residents who say a scammer claims that the individual has missed jury duty and must make immediate payment to avoid arrest. The scammer indicates a warrant has been issued for the resident’s arrest and demands payment for failure to appear for jury duty.

“I want to be extremely clear: Clerk staff will never phone a resident to request payment for failure to appear,” St. Johns County Clerk Brandon J. Patty said. “If you receive one of these calls, please provide no information to the caller, end the call immediately, and report the incident to the Florida Office of the Attorney General. As always, please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about jury duty or services we provide.”

Failure to appear for jury duty requires attendance in court prior to any penalties being imposed, which would be ordered by a judge. When residents don’t respond to a summons for jury duty, they are contacted by an official letter from the St. Johns County Clerk of the Circuit Court sent through the U.S. Postal Service.

Contact the Florida Office of the Attorney General at 866-9NOSCAM (866-966-7226).

For questions regarding jury duty in St. Johns County, call 904-819-3629. Learn about other common scams on the Clerk’s website at https://stjohnsclerk.com/alerts