Consumer Law In the News

New ID Theft Scam Alert: Jury Duty

Kudos to Freedman Consulting’s Law Practice Management blog for alerting me to this one: an Identity Theft scam that starts with a stern-sounding call from someone who identifies him- or herself as a “jury coordinator” and tells you that a warrant has been issued for your arrest due to your failure to appear for jury duty. When you protest you never received a summons, the caller requests your social security number and birthdate so s/he can cancel the arrest warrant. If you give out any of this information, that’s all the caller needs to steal your identity.

LPM reports that this has been confirmed by both Snopes.com and the FBI. From the Snopes page:

The scheme outlined in the message quoted above might be categorized as a “social engineering” scam — a technique which preys upon people’s unquestioning acceptance of authority and willingness to cooperate in order to extract from them sensitive information.

On 22 August 2005, the Minnesota Judicial Branch issued a warning about the bogus calls. The Minnesota Judicial Branch points out its courts always use the mail to send jury service summons, communicating by telephone only after prospective jurors have returned completed summons information forms.

In New Mexico, Rep. Tom Udall has been warning citizens about the scam. As he points out, Federal courts do not require anyone to provide any sensitive information over the telephone. Most contact between a federal court and a private citizen is conducted by mail.

The Superior Court of California has posted an alert on its web site, warning that identity thieves posing as court officials have been trying to get confidential information through phone calls about jury duty. Once again, callers have been telling potential victims they failed to report for jury duty, then demanding their Social Security numbers. While court personnel may occasionally call people at home, “We never ask for Social Security numbers or personal identifying information,” said Marita Ford, chief deputy executive officer for Riverside Superior Court.

In September 2005, in an effort to alert the public nationwide about the scam, the FBI issued a press release which explained that “the judicial system does not contact people telephonically and ask for personal information such as your Social Security number, date of birth or credit card numbers” and those so contacted should “not provide any personal or confidential information to these individuals.”

Snopes also reports that the scam isn’t new; reports of its use date back to 2001. Here are some tips to help you avoid getting taken by this or other scams:

• Never give your social security number or other personal information over the telephone. Anyone with a legitimate interest in that information either (A) already has it or (B) will understand your refusal. Anyone getting upset over it needs to join the 21st century.
• With any call that seems suspicious, but might be legitimate, try this ploy: tell the caller you will definitely cooperate and are interested in speaking with them further but … make up some emergency (your child was injured, there’s someone on the other line, you just got in and need to get some paper and pen for notes) and ask to call the office right back. Get the number, and hang up. Now, check the number the caller gave you against your caller ID and the phone book, or an internet phone directory. If there’s a discrepancy, you can call back with a greater level of caution.
• Jury service personnel will never call you - for just about anything. Almost all correspondence is accomplished through form letters sent via US mail.
• Keep a sharp eye on your credit card and bank statements, and get a copy of your credit reports from each of the three major credit reporting agencies yearly (more frequently if you have reason to suspect suspicious activity). Contact the creditor or bank immediately if you discern any improprieties or errors.

© 2006 SC Bankruptcy & Consumer Law Blog.