Missed Court Date? Don't Pay!

Protect yourself

Hang up. Courts don't demand payment over the phone to cancel an arrest warrant. Contact the court directly.

How it works

A caller claims you missed jury duty or a court appearance and deputies are coming to arrest you unless you pay immediately.

It works because most people have never been called by a court and have no idea what a real summons looks like. Fear of a police visit at work does the rest.

Red flags

A warrant that can be cancelled by paying today
Payment by gift card, prepaid debit card or cash app
The caller stays on the line while you go buy the cards

If it already happened

If you already paid or gave access: hang up and call your bank from the number on your card to stop or reverse the payment, change any password you read out, and if you installed software or granted remote control, disconnect the computer and call your IT provider. Report the call at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

Where OpenEFA fits

Email filtering can't stop a phone call. The defense here is a habit: hang up, and call back on a number you already trust.

Scam Watch No. 01 · EFA Security · efasecurity.com/scam-watch/ · Print this page and post it where your team will see it.

No. 02: The Sheriff Is Calling... Or Is It?

Part of the OpenEFA MailGuard Scam Watch series. Published October 21, 2026 by the EFA Security team. Share it freely; a link back is appreciated.

At a glance

Type: Phone Scam
Channel: Phone Scams (Vishing)
They want: Money, usually by gift card, wire or cash app, or remote access to your computer
One rule: Courts don't take phone payments to cancel warrants.

Post it in the breakroom

This page prints as a one-sheet poster with no menus or sidebars.

Print this alert

Get these by email

One short alert when something needs your attention. No marketing, one-click unsubscribe.

All 24 alerts

Phone, email and text message scams, each on one page.

Scam Watch index