Jury Duty Scam

admin · #1 (**permalink**) 08-17-2008

Jury Duty Scam DO NOT DELETE WITHOUT READING ! This has been verified by the FBI (their link is also included below). Please pass this on to everyone in your email address book. It is spreading fast so be prepared should you get this call. Most of us take those summonses for jury duty seriously, but enough people skip out on their civic duty, that a new and ominous kind of fraud has surfaced.

The caller claims to be a jury coordinator. If you protest that you never received a summons for jury duty, the scammer asks you for your Social Security number and date of birth so he or she can verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant. Give out any of this information and bingo; your identity was just stolen.

The fraud has been reported so far in 11 states, including Oklahoma , Illinois , and Colorado . This (swindle) is particularly insidious because they use intimidation over the phone to try to bully people into giving information by pretending they are with the court system. The FBI and the federal court system have issued nationwide alerts on their web sites, warning consumers about the fraud.

Check it out here:
http://www.fbi.gov/page2/june06/jury_scams060206.htm

http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/juryduty.asp

lilbit · #2 (**permalink**) 08-29-2008

Wow. I`ll have to remember that one. Better tell hubby too.

mandiees · #3 (**permalink**) 08-29-2008

WOW - This is a scary one because I could totally see how this would happen! Pretty ingenious on the part of the criminals though, I must say.

bubble · #4 (**permalink**) 08-29-2008

I have not heard of this until now. I can see how people could be fooled into giving out their information.

skatss · #5 (**permalink**) 08-30-2008

This is just incredible! I can see people being intimidated when they hear the words arrest warrant and things like that. I hope these people are found quickly. Thanks for letting us know.

Brandbla8 · #6 (**permalink**) 09-01-2008

Thanks for passing this one on. I had not heard of this one either so Thank You.

elvenrunelord · #7 (**permalink**) 09-01-2008

That's why an answering machine always answers my phone. If it was really the officials they would come to your door. Retards that fall for this deserve what they get.

ekmallette · #8 (**permalink**) 09-01-2008

Never, ever give out personal information over the phone like that. No legitimate firm or person would even ask for things like that....and if they do hang up. People fall for it because they're easily threatened.

Lissy · #9 (**permalink**) 09-03-2008

That's a darn smart one, and it is easy to see why it works. People forget all caution thinking that they are talking to a court representative, and of course no one wants to get arrested for something they didn't do.

manojjonam10 · #10 (**permalink**) 10-04-2008

This is really a nice method of stealing a person's information.I am sure that the scammer was a brilliant in thinking and executing the plan.