Jury Duty Scam!

Your phone rings and you answer it. On the other end is an official sounding person from the courts. They are claiming you didn't show up for jury duty and they are issuing a warrant for your arrest! Nerve racking? You bet! Is it a scam, chances are yes! Here is how it works.

The scammer catches their victim off guard by informing them about an arrest warrant put out in their name because they failed to show up for jury duty. The scammer then goes into detail about the consequences. The victim taken back by the information of course wants to proclaim their innocents and will do anything to prove it. The scammer will then start asking for identity information like Social Security number, license number, home address, maybe even home phone number, and if the scammer feels confident credit card numbers. The scammer may claim they are trying to verify records and even may try to be sympathetic to the victim by stating if they can verify this information then the process of proving their innocents will be smoother.

Don't be fooled by this. The scammer is trying to get ID information so they can steal your identity and ruin your credit or worse. A court official will never ask for identification information like a social security number, license number, or credit card information. The courts don't call you if you miss jury duty they send a letter.

If you are contacted by phone with someone saying they are going to have you arrested for skipping jury duty hang up. If you really want to verify the information call your clerk of courts office. You can get the number by looking it up in the phone book, dialing 411 or going on the internet and doing search. To do the internet search you would can go to google and type in Clerk of courts office and your state abbreviation or full state name. You can also go here US Court Links

When you call your clerk of courts office tell them about the phone call you received. This is not a new scam and they will assure you it is a scam.

If the scammer is stupid enough to call you back then you can tell them you know it's a scam because you already called the real clerk of courts office or you can play it up, waste their time make it known you are difficult to deal with, they won't call back. If you want try to get their phone number and tell them you will call them back later to verify the information if they refuse see if their number comes up on your caller ID.

Just to lighten the mood of this post. Some tips to mess with the scammers:

1. Keep asking the same question over and over. Like: Who are you? Why are you calling? What is your name? Have you accepted christ into your life?

2. Interrupt them and start talking about the weather or about the nice couple you meet at the grocery store.

3. Call them by a different name each time you address them.

4. Tell them you already ordered girl scouts cookies and are disappointed they aren't made out of real girl scouts.

5. Catch the scammer off guard ask them what are they wearing and start breathing heavy.

6. Fain a heart attack and make some gross sounds into the phone.