Did you miss jury duty or is this a scam?
Every year, new people enter the jury pool. And every
year, scammers take advantage of this fact to try and trick people into giving
out their sensitive personal information.
How it works: You answer the phone and someone tells
you that you failed to turn up for jury duty. They need your personal
details so the court can cancel an arrest warrant. Or, they're calling to
confirm personal details for future jury duty. Or, they need your credit
card numbers to pay a fine – or you'll be arrested.
No matter what a stranger tells you over the phone, don't
give out your information like you Social Security number or your birth date or
credit card numbers. If in doubt, contact the court directly. And,
report the incident to your local police.
Courts always correspond with private citizens through the
mail and rarely if ever call prospective jurors. Federal courts do not
require anyone to give out sensitive information over the phone. Many courts
now post warnings about this jury duty scams on their web sites, with a
disclaimer that they will not call and ask you for sensitive information.
If in doubt, always check with the BBB at 800-649-6814
before giving out any personal information and it is OK to hang up on these
calls.
