# Strange Jury Summons...what should we do? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 16, 2011, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-jury-summons-what-should-we-do/571529 "2011-02-16T01:52:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-jury-summons-what-should-we-do/571529/1 "2011-02-16T01:52:56Z")
So my husband forwarded me an e-mail he got. > [@](#): > > JURY > > 02– 24 – 11 > > (Place this slip on the dash of your vehicle) > > * * * > > ## THE STATE OF OHIO HIGHLAND COUNTY, ss: I am commanded to summon you X\_\_\_\_ X\_\_\_\_ to appear before the Court of Common Pleas to be held in Hillsboro on the 24th day of February A.D., 2011 at 8:15 o’clock A.M. of said day to serve as Petit Juror in said Court. And this you shall in no wise omit under penalty of law. RONALD D. WARD Sheriff, Highland County, Ohio > > Dear Juror: > You have been selected to appear as a prospective juror on Thursday > February 24th , 2011 at 8:15 a.m. > Please report to the Clerk of Court on Thursday February 24th , > 2011 at 8:15 a.m. > Then proceed to the Common Pleas Court and you will be given a slip > for the dash of your car and a number tag. > > \*\*\*Please note: Failure to appear for jury service is punishable by a fine > of not less than $100.00 and not more than $200.00; and may also be > punished as contempt of court. (Ohio Revised Code Sections 2313.29, > 2313.99) > N O T I C E: > YOU MUST CALL THE AUTOMATIC ANSWERING UNIT AT > 937-393-2422 (EXT. 5) OR 937-393-2161 (EXT. 5) AFTER 6:00 P.M. ON THE > EVENING BEFORE THE ABOVE DATE. A PRE-RECORDED MESSAGE > WILL TELL YOU WHETHER OR NOT YOU NEED TO REPORT THE > FOLLOWING DAY. > > PERSONS ENTERING THE COURTROOM SHALL NOT WEAR HATS OR OTHER FORMS > OF HEAD COVERS, SHORTS, TANK TOPS, STRING TOPS, FLIP FLOPS, CLOTHING WITH > PRINTING, PICTURES OR SYMBOLS THAT ARE INAPPROPIATE OR ANY OTHER TYPE OF > CLOTHING THAT IS DISRUPTIVE TO THE COURT’S PROCEEDINGS. PLEASE RESPOND IF > YOU RECEIVE THIS BY E-MAIL. Needless to say, the part I’ve Xed out contains his actual name, no middle initial. My husband has a very common name. We also don’t live in Highland County, Ohio, nor have we ever lived there (although we do live in Ohio). The numbers, according to a quick google search, appear to actually be to the county courthouse in Highland County. Nonetheless, could this be some sort of scam? How could they have gotten his e-mail address? And since when do they do jury summons by e-mail? I told him to call the jury commissioner in Highland County tomorrow to try to figure out if this is legit, but I figure I’ll ask you guys too. This seems very odd. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-jury-summons-what-should-we-do/571529/2 "2011-02-16T01:59:21Z")
> [@Drain\_Bead](#): > > I told him to call the jury commissioner in Highland County tomorrow to try to figure out if this is legit, but I figure I’ll ask you guys too. This seems very odd. That’s exactly what I’d suggest. I strongly suspect this is some kind of scam, so it needs to be reported anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-jury-summons-what-should-we-do/571529/3 "2011-02-16T02:31:50Z")
> [@Drain\_Bead](#): > > I told him to call the jury commissioner in Highland County tomorrow to try to figure out if this is legit, but I figure I’ll ask you guys too. This seems very odd. Call the number listed in the phone book, not the one on the form. ---
**Author:** ![Dusty\_Rose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ba8739/32.png) [@Dusty\_Rose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dusty_Rose)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-jury-summons-what-should-we-do/571529/4 "2011-02-16T02:42:40Z")
It does seem like a scam. I wonder if he’ll get another email asking for personal information to clear up some kind of “error.” I agree with the others that say call the court using the number from the phone book. ---
**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:** [February 16, 2011, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-jury-summons-what-should-we-do/571529/5 "2011-02-16T02:47:14Z")
I’ve never heard of a jury summons being sent via email, so that’s suspicious in and of itself. (For one thing, how would they target the emails geographically?) ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-jury-summons-what-should-we-do/571529/6 "2011-02-16T02:56:37Z")
Is email notification of jury duty even legal? Does your husband know any practical jokers? ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-jury-summons-what-should-we-do/571529/7 "2011-02-16T03:01:18Z")
What you’re telling me is what I told him–find the number for the jury commissioner and call it directly. If this is a scam, it’s the most intricate and well-done one I’ve ever seen–there’s not a typo to be found in that e-mail, the return e-mail address of the sender appears at least somewhat legit, and the phone numbers trace back to the courthouse. Plus, there’s nothing on Google with other people posting about anything similar happening to them, which you’d expect with a scam. But if it’s real, why did it come to him? I had to look up Highland County on Wikipedia to figure out where it was, and I’ve lived in Columbus since I was 12 years old. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-jury-summons-what-should-we-do/571529/8 "2011-02-16T08:55:10Z")
I googled the phone numbers, first one shows up on [http://www.highlandcountychamber.com/community.html](http://www.highlandcountychamber.com/community.html) Second one shows up here: [http://www.topix.com/yp/hillsboro-oh/842670812d-highland-common-pleas-judge](http://www.topix.com/yp/hillsboro-oh/842670812d-highland-common-pleas-judge) Sounds legit to me, but strange the jury summons would come via email. I just got a summons for jury duty, it came in the regular mail. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-jury-summons-what-should-we-do/571529/9 "2011-02-16T13:15:08Z")
Sounds like a scam to get you out of the house at/for a specific time. If you call the city and they claim no knowledge of the email, I’d suggest making it a point to be **conspicuously** home during that time, lest you possibly suffer a burglary. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-jury-summons-what-should-we-do/571529/10 "2011-02-16T15:20:00Z")
**OP** you may want to PM **Elendil’s Heir** if he doesn’t drop by this thread. He’s a magistrate in Ohio, and will probably be interested in hearing about this if it is indeed the scam it appears to be. ---
**Author:** ![howye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9adbd/32.png) [@howye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/howye)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-jury-summons-what-should-we-do/571529/11 "2011-02-16T16:42:54Z")
Total scam. Your jury summons can not come by email. R.C. 2313.10. Plus if you have not registered to vote in Highland county or have a driver’s license issued in Highland county, you should not be on the juror list. R.C. 2313.06. [http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/2313](http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/2313) Plus, there is no way Highland county is doing anything by email. Call the clerk of courts to verify, but look up the number directly: [Highland County Clerk of Courts.](http://www.co.highland.oh.us/Department%20Home%20Pages/Clerk%20of%20Courts.html) ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-jury-summons-what-should-we-do/571529/12 "2011-02-16T16:48:57Z")
Another weirdness is the lack of warning. Usually when you get summoned for jury duty they give you several month’s warning and a chance to reschedule if that particular date is inconvenient. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-jury-summons-what-should-we-do/571529/13 "2011-02-16T16:49:46Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Sounds like a scam to get you out of the house at/for a specific time. This. > [@](#): > > If you call the city and they claim no knowledge of the email, I’d suggest making it a point to be **conspicuously** home during that time, lest you possibly suffer a burglary. And have the police pass by a time or three. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-jury-summons-what-should-we-do/571529/14 "2011-02-16T18:47:47Z")
Oh gosh, I’d never thought of the burglary part. Drain Bead, do let us know what he hears - especially beyond how common this is and what’s happening to people who are targeted. Good luck. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-jury-summons-what-should-we-do/571529/15 "2011-02-16T19:15:50Z")
I called the Highland County Common Pleas court directly. Apparently it’s legit, and some guy with the same first and last name and middle initial as my husband gave my husband’s e-mail address as his, so they sent it to us. They even gave me the address of the guy it was over the phone, so we could verify that it wasn’t the same person. This after not knowing me from Adam. Jesus Christ. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-jury-summons-what-should-we-do/571529/16 "2011-02-16T19:18:45Z")
Huh. Well that was not the ending I expected to this story. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-jury-summons-what-should-we-do/571529/17 "2011-02-16T19:18:53Z")
Googled **jury summons email** and got some interesting results. There’s [This malware scam.](http://www.ic3.gov/media/2008/080417.aspx) And [this bullshit marketing campaign.](http://www.michbar.org/news/releases/archives02/fake_email.cfm) [Snopes claims that](http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/juryduty.asp) in Ohio, jury summonses are sent by mail. However, this was in the context of a fraudulent “failure to report for jury duty” phone call that attempted to phish for confidential info. Most of the jury duty scams I’ve been reading about involve a phone call (see above Snopes link for example). If the email didn’t include any suspicious attachments, and didn’t request that you send any personal info (like SSN), then I’m still leaning toward the “get you out of the house” angle. The flaw in that theory is that the sender would have to know that both your husband’s email address AND his residential address. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-jury-summons-what-should-we-do/571529/18 "2011-02-16T19:21:28Z")
That is certainly a surprise. How the hell he guessed your hubby’s email is nuts. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-jury-summons-what-should-we-do/571529/19 "2011-02-16T19:26:18Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > That is certainly a surprise. How the hell he guessed your hubby’s email is nuts. Unless he posted “Hubbie’s Name”@“Hubbie’s e-mail provider”.com, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-jury-summons-what-should-we-do/571529/20 "2011-02-16T19:28:09Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > That is certainly a surprise. How the hell he guessed your hubby’s email is nuts. Not necessarily. Many, even most people have an email address that’s in someway derived from their names. If these two guys have the same name and same email carrier, I can see giving out the wrong one by accident or miscommunication. For example if you have two men named John Q. Public one might be [jqpublic@google.com](mailto:jqpublic@google.com) and the other one [jpublic@google.com](mailto:jpublic@google.com). Easy to get it sent to the wrong place. My mother used to occasionally get email intended for me till I switched internet providers. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-jury-summons-what-should-we-do/571529.md?page=2)