I received a notice from the Manatee County Bar Association (“MCBA”) with some important information and I wanted to pass it along to you. The MCBA reports:

The office of Angelina “Angel” Colonneso, Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller for Manatee County, is warning Manatee County citizens of a recently reported jury scam.

According to the report, a victim received a call from a caller identifying themselves as a member of law enforcement. The caller told the victim they had a warrant for missed jury duty and to release the warrant must pay a bond.

The Clerk & Comptroller’s office wants you to know that our office, law enforcement, or the Courts will never call you, demanding you to pay a fine for missed jury duty.

If you suspect you received a call for an attempted jury scam, please report it to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office immediately at 941-747-3011.

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office provides the following tips on how to protect yourself from a phone scam:

• Know government employees will not call you unprompted. Before providing any information or payment, visit the government’s office to verify the contact information.
• Don’t give out or confirm your personal or financial information to someone who calls you.
• Never wire or send money using reloadable gift cards to someone you do not know.

And remember, if the caller is putting pressure on you to act now, this is a scam. Hang up the phone immediately and call the Sheriff’s office to report the call.

The Manatee County Clerk of Court’s website is www.manateeclerk.com.

Be vigilant!