| Most of us take summonses for jury duty seriously, | | | | are clearly caught off guard, and are understandably |
| but enough people skip out on their civic duty that a | | | | upset at the prospect of an arrest warrant being |
| new ominous scam has surfaced in the last several | | | | issued. It preys upon people's general unquestioning |
| years. This new "jury duty" scam is the latest in a | | | | acceptance of authority and willingness to cooperate |
| series of identity theft "phishing schemes". Fall for it, | | | | in order to extract from them sensitive information. |
| and whammo, your identity has been stolen. | | | | How to Avoid Falling Victim to 'Jury Duty' Scams: |
| The first jury duty scam was reported in upper New | | | | Be assured that court workers will very rarely, if |
| York State in 2001. Since then it's been reported in at | | | | ever, telephone to say you've missed jury duty, or |
| least 13 additional states, including Michigan, Ohio, | | | | that they are assembling juries and need to |
| Texas, Colorado, Arizona, California, Maryland, Illinois, | | | | pre-screen those who might be selected to serve on |
| New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Oregon and | | | | them. So dismiss as fraudulent any phone calls of this |
| Washington State. | | | | nature. Keep in mind that about the only time you |
| This 'jury duty' scheme might best be categorized as | | | | would ever hear, by telephone (rather than by mail), |
| a "social engineering" scam and works something like | | | | anything having to do with jury service, would be |
| this: | | | | after you've mailed back your completed |
| Con artists contact people by phone to assert that | | | | questionnaire, and even then only rarely. |
| those they've targeted have evaded jury duty and | | | | This latest scam reinforces, once again, that you |
| warrants are being issued for their arrest. When the | | | | should never give out bank account, social security, |
| victims rightly protest that they've never received | | | | or credit card numbers over the phone if you didn't |
| such jury duty notification, the scammer goes after | | | | initiate the call ~ whether it be to someone trying to |
| what he really wants, (for verification purposes only, | | | | sell you something or to someone who claims to be |
| of course) which is his pigeons' personal and financial | | | | from a bank or government department. If such |
| information. Under threat of being hauled off to jail | | | | callers insist upon "verifying" such information with |
| unless they succeed in straightening out this terrible | | | | you, have them read the data to you from their |
| mess, many people, (who would otherwise be more | | | | notes, with you verifying it, rather than the other |
| wary about what they reveal of their personal data), | | | | way around. |
| will find themselves reeling off their birth dates, social | | | | And a word to the wise ~ Carefully examine your |
| security and credit card numbers in an effort to | | | | credit card and bank account statements every |
| convince their callers that the notification had never | | | | month, keeping an eye peeled for unauthorized |
| arrived, or were never meant for them in the first | | | | charges. If you notice anything you didn't approve, |
| place. | | | | challenge it immediately! |
| It's easy to see how this might work. The victims | | | | |