Delawareans are being warned about phone scams involving state courts

The Delaware Judiciary is warning residents about phone scams.

The Delaware Judiciary reports bogus phone calls are on the rise, making false claims about warrants, jury duty, fines and fees, and fraudulently demanding immediate payment.

The Judiciary has been aware of a number of phone scams in recent months targeting Delawareans as well as residents in other states.

In these scams, a caller claims to represent one of the state's courts or a law enforcement agency working for the court, and demand money to resolve an arrest warrant, fine or other outstanding matter.

Lately, their calls demand money from people for allegedly failing to report for jury duty.

Another recent scam is texting a copy of a bogus "order of arrest" to victims who request documentation, trying to direct the victims to a specific non-governmental address to make a cash payment.

The Delaware Judiciary is letting the public know these are not legitimate calls, and the courts, jury services, or police would not make these threats.

One sign it's a scam is demanding immediate payment in difficult to trace forms like cash, gift cards, Venmo or Zelle.

If you receive a call, try to make note of the number, hang up immediately and call your local law enforcement agency.

If you have any jury duty questions, you can check to see if you have been summoned by calling Delaware Superior Court Jury Services at 302-255-0800 in New Castle County, 302-735-1901 in Kent County, and 302-855-7055 in Sussex County.

If a prospective juror fails to report, they will be contacted my mail.

If you have questions about court-imposed costs, fines, restitution, or other fees, you can contact the Office of State Court Collections Enforcement (OSCCE) in person at their office locations or through other approved methods like state-operated payment kiosks at DMV offices.

You can visit the OSCCE website for more information, or call 302-255-0339.