Ashe County residents are receiving jury scam calls. Someone identifying himself as a deputy sheriff is calling residents and telling them that they have failed to respond to a jury summons and need to pay a large fee or face jail time. This is a scam.

Scammers are very convincing and often have your name and address, use the name of a real judge and / or law enforcement officers, and refer to local locations to make you believe the call is legitimate.

Jury summons are issued by mail. If you fail to appear for jury service, you cannot be fined by telephone or email. Any phone call stating that a (bench) warrant has been issued for your arrest due to not reporting for jury service is a scam. Further, it is a scam if payment by telephone is demanded to satisfy the bench warrant. Court staff and the Sheriff's Office do not call or email citizens requesting Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, money, pre–paid debit card numbers, payments by money grams, or any other sensitive financial information.

If you receive such a phone call, hang up. You can always contact your local clerk of superior court's office to verify if you have, in fact, failed to report for jury service.