Federal authorities are sounding the alarm as a persistent phone scam continues to target residents across the Eastern District of Tennessee. Imposters posing as law enforcement officers are threatening unsuspecting locals with arrest warrants, claiming they failed to report for federal jury duty.

The scam is as aggressive as it is convincing. Fraudsters are demanding immediate payment—often instructing victims to buy pre-paid gift cards and read the numbers over the phone—to “resolve” the fictitious warrants and avoid jail time.

A Highly Convincing Trap

According to court officials, these scammers are using sophisticated tactics to make their lies look like the real deal:

• Spoofed Caller IDs: Incoming calls are manipulated to display the actual phone numbers of local courts or government offices.

• Real Names: Scammers frequently use the real names of active federal judges, court officials, and law enforcement officers.

• Personal Data: They often reference actual details about the victim to make the threat feel personal and urgent.

The U.S. District Court, the U.S. Marshals Service, and local law enforcement emphasize that they are not behind these calls. Under no circumstances should residents provide these callers with money, credit card numbers, or personal information.

Fact Check: How the Court Actually Operates

To help the public distinguish official business from a shakedown (because, let’s face it, Uncle Sam doesn’t accept payment in Target gift cards), authorities have released the following guidelines:

The Golden Rule: The U.S. District Court will never call you out of the blue to demand immediate payment or financial details.

• Summons via Mail: The court always sends jury summonses through the U.S. Mail.

• No Signatures Required: The court does not require prospective jurors to sign for their summonses. Neither the court nor police will claim you signed for a summons or demand a “handwriting analysis.”

• Written Follow-Ups: If a jury summons is ignored, the court clerk’s office will contact you via mail, not by phone.

• Zero Phone Demands: Neither the court nor law enforcement will ever demand phone payments or ask for gift cards to satisfy a legal obligation.

• No Payment Kiosks: The court does not utilize payment kiosks, and officials will never direct you to use one.

What to Do If Targeted

If you receive one of these high-pressure calls, hang up immediately.

• Report the Call: You can report the scam or attempted scam to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

• Verify Your Status: If you are genuinely worried that you might have missed a legitimate summons, do not trust the caller’s number. Instead, contact the official federal jury office directly at 865-329-4766.