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Jury Duty Scam

Citizens in the Western District of New York  may receive various forms of false communication (scams) by phone or email. A recent scam involves jury forms with official-looking bar codes sent by email that ask for personal information such as  date of birth, mother's maiden name, etc. For more information about jury scams, click here.
If you have received a phone call or email asking you to provide personal information and/or send payment to avoid arrest or other penalty, it is a scam.

The Court will NOT do any of the following:
1. The Court will NOT send or accept jury forms by email. The Court's official forms do not require personal information such as your mother's maiden name.
2. Serve a warrant by e-mail or fax. Valid warrants will always be served in person by a U.S. Marshal or other law enforcement officer.
3. Call, e-mail, or send a fax to tell you a warrant has been issued.
4. Demand the payment of money in lieu of being arrested.
5. Demand verification of personal information via email or phone call, such as  bank account information.

Scammers, claiming to be a officer or attorney of the U.S. government, have been contacting citizens and demanding payment of money or verification of personal information in order for the subject of the scam to avoid arrest. Scammers have also been sending official-looking jury forms via email to citizens that ask for personal information (phishing). Calls and emails such as these are scams. Such emails may contain Trojan horses or viruses.

What Can You Do?

If you believe that you have been the victim of fraud or have received a scam phone call, phishing e-mail, or fax, contact your local police or sheriff department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation  or the United States Marshals Service.
If you have any concerns about a communication that purports to be from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York , contact us at 716-551-1721
 
Check this page, or the News and Announcements box on the homepage, for the latest official news and announcements released by the court. You can also access archived news and announcements from this page.

Fri, 01/06/2023

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York has posted updates to the Court’s Local Civil, Criminal and Patent Rules of Procedure on the public web site.  The updated rules are effective January 1, 2023.  They can be located by...

Tue, 01/03/2023

The Court has adopted General Order #162, which, pursuant to Section 15002(b)(1) of the CARES Act, extends the authorization...

Mon, 12/12/2022

Chief Judge Elizabeth Wolford has signed General Order #161 on behalf of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New...

Thu, 12/01/2022

Congress has taken no action on the proposed amendments to the Federal Rules of Appellate, Bankruptcy, Civil, and Criminal Procedure adopted by the Supreme Court and transmitted to Congress on April 11, 2022.  Under the Rules Enabling Act, 28 U.S...

Wed, 10/05/2022

The Court has adopted General Order #160, which, pursuant to Section 15002(b)(1) of...

Fri, 08/26/2022

Federal Court Civil Practice Boot Camp Free CLE Series* - Session 5: Preparing for Trial.  An overview of federal civil trial preparation, including final pre-trial conferences, motions in limine, and pre-trial statements.  Featuring perspectives...

Wed, 08/24/2022

This implementation will allow for Special Assessments, Fines and Restitution to be paid online via the WDNY Criminal Debt Form on Pay.gov.  The accepted payment methods will be via checking account, savings account or debit card; credit cards...

Mon, 08/22/2022

The United States District Courts, for The Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Districts of New York, as well as the Districts of Connecticut and Vermont...

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