About 100,000 Ohioans will receive postcards from federal court in the coming weeks to let them know they could be selected for jury duty in the next two years.
The U.S. District Court for Southern Ohio will send the postcards to randomly selected citizens chosen for possible jury duty. This process happens every other year using voter registration and Bureau of Motor Vehicle records.
However, this year, the court is alerting the public to the postcards being sent because in recent months, scammers have called, emailed and texted people asking for money to pay a fine for missed jury service. Scammers have also used certified mail in an effort to seem more legitimate. Federal courts do not require anyone to provide personal information over the phone or through email.
Jury communications and summonses are sent through the regular U.S. mail, like the postcards will be sent.
Receiving a postcard does not mean you’re required to serve jury duty, only that you could be selected within the coming two years for service. The postcards contain a QR code and a web address that can be used to fill out an online questionnaire.
The questionnaire asks potential jurors about their ability to understand English, demographic information and information about possible health concerns that could limit a person’s ability to serve, such as an inability to sit for long periods of time or other disabilities.
Information provided on the questionnaire is only available to court staff.
The jury department will not ask any potential jurors to provide payment or banking information. Requests for such information should be treated as a scam.
The Southern District has three courthouses that serve 48 of Ohio’s 88 counties. The courthouses are located in Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton.
An automated information line is available at 833-396-3498 for questions related to the postcards. In addition, the three courthouses can be reached at clerks_office@ohsd.uscourts.gov.
The Columbus courthouse can be reached at 614-719-3000. The Cincinnati courthouse can be reached at 513-564-7500, and the Dayton courthouse can be reached at 937-512-1400.
Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached at bbruner@gannett.com or on Bluesky at @bethanybruner.dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio court warns jury duty scams rising as it preps 100,000 notices for potential jurors
Reporting by Bethany Bruner, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
