White Collar Crime

Jury Duty Scam

The jury duty scam is a simple but effective way to prey on and steal from unsuspecting victims. This scam has been around for many years, but it has become more common in recent years.

How it works

Con artists will call people at their homes and claim to be from the local court system. The caller will tell the person that they had received a notice to attend jury duty, but failed to appear. Victims are told that since they did not show up at the appointed time, the court has issued a warrant for their arrest.

This is a con that preys on people's fears. At this point, many people will be scared and concerned about the possibility of a warrant in their name. They will try to explain that they never received a summons for jury duty, and are relieved when the officer seems to be helpful and understanding of the problem.

The officer will explain that this kind of thing happens all the time. Summons are lost in the mail or delivered to the wrong address, and so the missed appointment time is understandable. To help get the matter straightened out, the officer will need a little information to investigate further and clear up any outstanding charges.

These calls usually end after the officer has been given personal data such as a social security number, birth date, address or perhaps even a credit card number so an outstanding fee may be paid and the charges can be dropped.

Of course the officer is a con artist who now has enough information to make charges on your credit cards, or take money from your bank account.

Why it works

The threat of having a warrant for their arrest is enough to make many people not think properly. A call like this will be completely unexpected, and can be very frightening. When the caller offers a solution to the problem, people are often so relieved that they will act immediately and provide any information that they believe will get them out of trouble.

What to do if called

The most important thing to remember is that court officials will not call you and ask for private information. Do not give out any personal data, just hang up the phone. The court system most commonly contacts individuals via the mail, not on the phone.

Anyone who receives a jury duty scam call is encouraged to contact the District Court in their area to report it, and can even notify a local FBI office. Any information you can provide about these calls may help them to track down and capture the perpetrators of this scam.