# Is This A Legitimate Jury Notification? A Bizarro Fishing Scam? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 11, 2018, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-legitimate-jury-notification-a-bizarro-fishing-scam/825966 "2018-12-11T21:28:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2018, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-legitimate-jury-notification-a-bizarro-fishing-scam/825966/21 "2018-12-12T17:04:26Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Interesting. Do they have to provide transportation? Suppose you don’t have a car? 80 miles is quite a distance. > [@Doug\_K](#): > > I see nothing in the OP to make me think he doesn’t have a car. His question was “Does it ping anyone’s scam radar?” Nothing about wanting to get out of it if it turned out to be legit. True enough, but I was responding to Hari Seldon. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2018, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-legitimate-jury-notification-a-bizarro-fishing-scam/825966/22 "2018-12-13T15:31:23Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > AFAIK .gov domains are only available to actual government agencies. If it ended in something like .net, .com, .tv, .me that would be a different matter. Sure, but there’s no guarantee someone didn’t manage to place a redirect on an otherwise valid .gov site. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2018, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-legitimate-jury-notification-a-bizarro-fishing-scam/825966/23 "2018-12-13T15:34:12Z")
The post that expressed suspicion about the printed URL advised to go to the site for the Clerk of Courts for that district, which is, of course, at the same URL. And, BTW, have you ever heard of a phishing attempt that involved actual paper mail? I know I haven’t. ---
**Author:** ![Arcite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/67e7ee/32.png) [@Arcite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arcite)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2018, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-legitimate-jury-notification-a-bizarro-fishing-scam/825966/24 "2018-12-13T15:41:42Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > I see nothing in the OP to make me think he doesn’t have a car. His question was “Does it ping anyone’s scam radar?” Nothing about wanting to get out of it if it turned out to be legit. In addition, it’s a demand that he complete an online questionnaire, not a jury service summons. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2018, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-legitimate-jury-notification-a-bizarro-fishing-scam/825966/25 "2018-12-13T15:46:07Z")
I have a car, a beat-up old Toyota that I would drive to the Moon if they built a road there. I am not trying to get out of jury duty. ---
**Author:** ![arseNal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@arseNal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arseNal)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2018, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-legitimate-jury-notification-a-bizarro-fishing-scam/825966/26 "2018-12-13T17:08:29Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Sure, but there’s no guarantee someone didn’t manage to place a redirect on an otherwise valid .gov site. True, a rogue employee or hacker theoretically could have compromised and taken control of the site and placed a malicious page there. But you can say that about any site on the web. What are you going to do, not use the internet? FWIW, I went to [https://www.moed.uscourts.gov/](https://www.moed.uscourts.gov/) and it looks legit to me. The SSL certificate is valid. There is a problem with the page in that some elements (probably some images) are not delivered via https, but I would guess this is an error in the page’s construction rather than anything malicious. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2018, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-legitimate-jury-notification-a-bizarro-fishing-scam/825966/27 "2018-12-13T17:45:43Z")
If the postcard had instructed you to show up at your nearest lake, with a pole and bait…then maybe it could be a fishing scam. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2018, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-legitimate-jury-notification-a-bizarro-fishing-scam/825966/28 "2018-12-13T19:38:32Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > About 10 years ago, a woman I worked with was called to sit on a grand jury at our state capitol, which was about 70 miles away. In addition to her stipend, which she had to turn in, she was also paid a mileage rate of about 50 cents a mile; that, she could keep. > > That’s really all I remember about it; this was in Illinois. I wonder if you could deduct mileage expenses from your taxes if you do have to serve (and they don’t reimburse). > **[Juror Pay](https://www.uscourts.gov/services-forms/jury-service/juror-pay)** > > Jurors are paid for each day of service and may be eligible to receive reimbursements. From the first paragraph: "Jurors also are reimbursed for reasonable transportation expenses and parking fees. Jurors also receive a subsistence allowance covering their meals and lodging if they are required to stay overnight. " If you do need to go, ask about their policies beforehand. I would think that 160 miles a day (80 miles each way) would qualify for _some_ reimbursement!! At the federal mileage rate (50 cents or so a mile) that’s actually a considerable amount. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2018, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-legitimate-jury-notification-a-bizarro-fishing-scam/825966/29 "2018-12-13T19:42:01Z")
By the way, you were not out of line in wanting to check if it was legit; there actually _are_ scams related to “jury duty”; one of the links on that page I posted before discusses the topic. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2018, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-legitimate-jury-notification-a-bizarro-fishing-scam/825966/30 "2018-12-13T19:46:15Z")
That page talks about jury duty scams involving phone calls or email. I still think ones that involve actual postal mail are extremely rare. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2018, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-legitimate-jury-notification-a-bizarro-fishing-scam/825966/31 "2018-12-13T20:22:42Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > I wonder if you could deduct mileage expenses from your taxes if you do have to serve (and they don’t reimburse). [The IRS views those as personal expenses](https://www.irs.gov/pub/lanoa/pmta00953_7316.pdf), hence they are not deductible. And, in any case, the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act of 2017 eliminated all miscellaneous deductions that were formerly subject to the 2% floor. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2018, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-legitimate-jury-notification-a-bizarro-fishing-scam/825966/32 "2018-12-13T20:57:22Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > But the OP’s notice was for _federal_ court. > > However, it looks like there’s some [variation from district to district.](http://www.uscourts.gov/services-forms/jury-service) I was referring solely to federal courts as well. It is a bit odd but understandable that there may be regional differences on policies. As a side note: Whoever set up the courts’ websites was quite logical: [cand.uscourts.gov](http://cand.uscourts.gov) takes you to the Northern District of California federal court, [txsd.uscourts.gov](http://txsd.uscourts.gov) is Southern District of Texas, etc… ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2018, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-legitimate-jury-notification-a-bizarro-fishing-scam/825966/33 "2018-12-14T07:19:10Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > That page talks about jury duty scams involving phone calls or email. I still think ones that involve actual postal mail are extremely rare. True enough - but given the existence of the other scams, it wasn’t outrageous of Homie to question it. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2018, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-legitimate-jury-notification-a-bizarro-fishing-scam/825966/34 "2018-12-14T07:41:42Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > I was referring solely to federal courts as well. It is a bit odd but understandable that there may be regional differences on policies. > > As a side note: Whoever set up the courts’ websites was quite logical: [cand.uscourts.gov](http://cand.uscourts.gov) takes you to the Northern District of California federal court, [txsd.uscourts.gov](http://txsd.uscourts.gov) is Southern District of Texas, etc… I got essentially the same thing as what the OP got, from CA Central District ([www.cacd.uscourts.gov](http://www.cacd.uscourts.gov)), but they included the whole paper survey, and said the online version was also an option. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-legitimate-jury-notification-a-bizarro-fishing-scam/825966.md?page=1)