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The Ramsey Police Department warns of a FBI press release of a jury duty identity theft scam :
The phone rings, you pick it up, and the caller identifies himself as an officer of the
court. He says you failed to report for jury duty and that a warrant is out for your
arrest. You say you never received a notice. To clear it up, the caller says he'll need
some information for "verification purposes"-your birth date, social security number,
maybe even a credit card number.
This is when you should hang up the phone. It's a scam.
Jury scams have been around for years, but have seen a resurgence recently. Communities
in more than a dozen states have issued public warnings about cold calls from people
claiming to be court officials seeking personal information. As a rule, court officers
never ask for confidential information over the phone; they generally correspond with
prospective jurors via mail.
The scam's bold simplicity may be what makes it so effective. Facing the unexpected
threat of arrest, victims are caught off guard and may be quick to part with some
information to defuse the situation.
With enough information, scammers can assume your identity and empty your bank accounts.
In recent months, communities in Florida, New York, Minnesota, Illinois, Colorado,
Oregon, California, Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona, and New Hampshire reported scams or
posted warnings or press releases on their local websites. In August, the federal court
system issued a warning on the scam and urged people to call their local District Court
office if they receive suspicious calls. The FBI issued a press release about jury scams
and suggested victims also contact their local FBI field office.
The jury scam is a simple variation of identity theft that have become common in recent
years as personal information and good credit have become thieves' preferred prey,
particularly on the Internet. Scammers might tap your information to make a purchase on
your credit card, but could just as easily sell your information to the highest bidder on
the Internet's black market.
Protecting yourself is the key: Never give out personal information when you receive an
unsolicited phone call.
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