By Kate Gassman
Editor
The Berrien County Trail Court has sent a news release warning local citizens of a telephone scam involving jury service.
They warn that citizens are contacted by phone, often from what appears to be a local number. The caller identifies himself or herself as a local law enforcement official and informs the citizen that they failed to appear for jury service. The caller may even reference fictitious case numbers or the names of local officials, possibly including judges during the call.
The goal of the call is to convince the recipient to pay a fine over the phone or using a web payment platform like PayPal or Zelle or risk being arrested.
However the court warns that the scam is not a valid contact from the Berrien County Trial Court and goes on to say that all communications from the court to citizens regarding jury-related matters will be conducted via US Mail.
Berrien County is one of the last counties in Michigan to adopt electronic record lookup and other electronic features like filing. While they did use electronic workarounds during the Covid-19 lockdown out of necessity, the court has gone back to its previous traditional analog methods.
The court suggests contacting the jury office via phone or email if you believe you have been the victim of a jury-related scam. Their contact information is jury@berriencounty.org or (269) 983-7111 x8347.