Phone Scams: Were You Summoned for Jury Duty?

If you receive an unexpected phone call (probably during dinner hour), maligning your patriotic spirit, just hang up the phone!

Here's a new one:

The phone rings, and you check your caller ID. The display reads "Unknown Caller" or "Number Blocked."

You pick up the phone. The caller identifies himself as a court official and informs you that you are being prosecuted for failing to show up for jury duty.

Of course, you never received a summons for jury duty. You read your mail, and you would certainly have noticed this. As politely as you can, you point this out. By now, your supper is getting cold, but your blood is beginning to boil.

The caller suggests that this may indeed be a clerical error in the court system. He agrees to check the official summons files. To do so, he says he needs the following information: your full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number. Perhaps he may ask for a major credit card or bank account number as well, for processing fees or possible penalties. He or she informs you that this data will be kept confidential, but it is required for cancellation of your outstanding arrest warrant.

If you refuse to offer these details, the caller may threaten you with fines and possible arrest.

Stop the scam right there!

Don't fall for phone scare tactics. This is pfishing and fraud. If you give out your personal identification information, you could become the next identity theft casualty. Immediately, your Social Security number and credit card information may be marketed on the internet and sold to the highest bidder. Your excellent financial reputation may be mud within minutes.

Always be suspicious of unsolicited phone calls, particularly when they ask for your identifying information or attempt to sell you anything. Of course, you should never offer your private data on the telephone, unless you initiated the call yourself!

How can you tell it's fake?

Court officials simply do not gather personal information from private citizens by telephone. It just doesn't happen. For security reasons, they only do this by traditional mail. After all, your signature (in writing) is required on most of their documentation.

Also, genuine court officials rarely resort to intimidation. After all, they have the law on their side. If a caller tries to strong-arm you verbally, he's probably a con-man.

It's going around.

Since 2005, many states have reported similar scams. These include Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington and others.

What if this happens to you?

If you should receive such a call, hang up and alert your local police department, court system or your regional office of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).

Here's a variation:

Citizens have reported a similar scam. If you receive an unexpected phone call, requesting pre-screening information for jury duty, just hang up. Court officials never gather this data by phone. Again, this is compiled on printed forms, which you may receive in the mail.