Fake Jury Duty Scam Reported In Montclair (What To Know)

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Did you get an email or phone call from the “Montclair County Court” or a similar sender lately? It might be a scam, officials say.

On Thursday, the township issued a reminder to local residents, asking them to “remain vigilant” for potential online or phone scams. Here’s why, officials said:

“Recently, members of the community may have received an email or telephone correspondence from the ‘Montclair County Court’ or a similar sender regarding an upcoming or recently missed jury duty service. This is a scam. The emails will likely have a link or QR code that they request you scan. This is an attempt by impersonators to solicit your personal information and who will use this information to steal your identity and commit fraud.”

Montclair town officials continued:

“As a reminder, court or township officials will never ask for personal identifiers (such as date of birth, Social Security numbers, credit card numbers or other sensitive information) over the phone or email, nor will they ask for payment to avoid arrest for failing to report for jury duty. Initial notifications to potential jurors are conducted through the United States Postal Service. An official jury summons includes a return address to the Jury Management Office for the county in which it was sent. If a person receives an email or call, they should not provide any personal information, credit card numbers, prepaid cards, or money to the requestor.”

Montclair officials said additional safety tips include:

• Don’t give out personal or financial information over the phone or by email to a purported court official.
• Don’t respond to emails or call back numbers in robocalls or voicemails about missed jury service. Look up and call the official number for a court or law enforcement agency to see if it has attempted to contact you.
• Don’t pay a supposed fine by wire or gift card. These types of payments are hard to trace or reverse.
• Don’t assume an email or call is legitimate because caller ID says it comes from a court office or law enforcement agency. Scammers use spoofing technology to trick caller ID.

“If you feel that you have been the victim of a scam, or if you have concerns about being inappropriately contacted concerning jury duty, please contact the county jury duty manager as well as the Montclair Police Department at (973) 744-1234,” officials said.

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