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You receive a phone call from official identifying himself as an officer of the court, calling to inform you that you failed to report for jury duty and that a warrant has issued for your arrest. You don’t remember receiving a notice for jury duty – obviously a mistake has occurred so you are cooperative to try and clear up the mistake. The caller is understanding, patiently asking for some simple information for "verification purposes"- just provide 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.

The genius is the play on good intentions of most folks – people are put on the defensive with a threat of arrest, and then offered a simple method for clearing their name. Most victims are caught off guard and may be quick to part with personal information, even credit card information if the scammer offers a solution – pay a fine, payable by credit card, that will settle matter.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, jury scams have been around for years, but reports indicate a resurgence in recent months. Communities in more than a dozen states, in Colorado, have issued public warnings about cold calls from people claiming to be court officials seeking personal information. Court officers never ask for confidential information over the phone and rarely make direct phone calls to potential jurors. Generally courts correspond with prospective jurors via U.S. mail.

In recent years, law enforcement 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. The federal court system has issued a warning on the scam and urged people to call their local District Court office if they receive suspicious calls.

In 2006, USA.gov, the federal government’s information website, posted details about jury scams in their Frequently Asked Questions area. The site reported scores of queries on the subject from website visitors and callers seeking information.

The jury scam is a simple variation of the identity-theft ploys that have proliferated in recent years as personal information and good credit have become highly-valued “commodities.” In a similar ploy, during the past year a number of scammers called victims, posing as representatives of the federal government to collect census information.

Protecting yourself is the key – never give out personal information when you receive an unsolicited phone call.

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