BOISE, Id – Jury duty is a civic obligation. In Ada County, you’ll get a postcard in the mail, alerting you to when you have to serve. If you ignore this obligation, you could get 3 days in jail, and a 300-dollar fine. Scammers are using these facts to frighten people and steal their money.
The scam started in 2005, and crops up periodically around the country. Here’s how it works. Your phone rings…
Dale Dixon “It’ll be someone claiming to be from the court and they’ll say you missed your jury duty, therefore there’s a warrant out for your arrest.”
Dale Dixon is the President and CEO of the Snake River Region of the Better Business Bureau.
Dale Dixon “As they tell you there’s a warrant out for your arrest, they’ll say we have an officer in the neighborhood and is waiting to collect you and take you to jail.”
Once the scammer scares you, they turn things around and offer you a solution.
Dale Dixon “We can take care of this quickly and we can just accept your fine over the phone with a credit card. What’s your credit card number?”
That’s how they steal your money. They can also steal your identity. The criminal calls your number and says…
Dale Dixon “You are on the schedule to be part of a jury and we need to confirm your identity to make sure we have the right person. This scam works because I haven’t talked to a person yet who really loves going to jury duty and they’ll think, well, maybe it’s not me, and provide the personal information.”
Usually a Social Security number. Dixon says, don’t fall for it.
Dale Dixon “Hang up the phone. Independently verify the phone number for the court system in your county and call to be sure everything is all right, if there is a question in your mind.”
Dixon says the thieves behind the scam are usually outside the U-S. They use technology to hide by putting any number they want on your caller ID. He says never give out your personal information to someone you don’t know.
Copyright 2012 BSPR
