Bradenton, Fla. –The Office of Angelina “Angel” Colonneso, Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, warns Manatee County residents of a recent jury duty scam reported in Manatee County.
According to the report, the scammer claimed a resident missed jury duty and now must pay a fine using prepaid gift cards. Then directed the resident to send the gift cards to the Sarasota County Clerk & Comptroller’s office.
This scam is not new. Similar scams in the past involved scammers calling jurors pretending to be law enforcement, threatening to arrest or embarrass them if payment was not made.
The Clerk & Comptroller’s office will never initiate contact with a resident unprompted. A resident would have contacted the Clerk’s office first.
Residents can guard themselves against jury duty scams using the following tips provided by the office of Attorney General Ashley Moody:
- Know that jury duty summons will come by mail, not by phone or email;
- If no jury duty summons is received, then ignore a phone call from anyone claiming to be calling about jury duty;
- Contact your local Clerk’s office to see if there is a valid jury duty issue;
- Never give personal or financial information over the phone to a stranger, especially if the caller acts aggressively;
- Recognize that anyone asking for payments to be made through a gift card is a scammer, and
- Be wary of Caller ID, as this can be spoofed, making a phone call look like it is coming from a real source.
Residents should contact the Clerk & Comptroller’s office with any concerns regarding their jury duty summons or jury duty service at (941) 748-7407.
The Clerk & Comptroller’s office is here to help, protect, and serve.
About the Clerk’s Office
The Clerk of Circuit Court was established as a public trustee by the Florida Constitution in 1838. The Clerk of the Circuit Court serves as the Clerk of Courts, the Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners, Auditor, Recorder, and Custodian of all County Funds. In Manatee County, the Clerk’s office also administers a local child support enforcement program, violence protection advocacy program, and Teen Court programs. Located at 1115 Manatee Avenue West in downtown Bradenton, the Courthouse is open Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Please be sure to visit our website and sign up for our electronic newsletter here.