Sweetsie
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Posts: 2
(11/11/05 9:31 pm)
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New Scam Out
Here's a new twist scammers are using to commit identity theft: the jury duty scam.
Here's how it works: The scammer calls claiming to work for the local court and claims you've failed to report for jury duty. He tells you that a warrant has been issued for your arrest.
The victim will often rightly claim they never received the jury duty notification. The scammer then asks the victim for confidential information for "verification" purposes.
Specifically, the scammer asks for the victim's Social Security number, birth date, and sometimes even for credit card numbers and other private information — exactly what the scammer needs to commit identity theft.
So far, this jury duty scam has been reported in Michigan, Ohio, Texas, Arizona, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington state.
In reality, court workers will never call you to ask for social security numbers and other private information. In fact, most courts follow up via regular mail and rarely, if ever, call prospective jurors.
Action: Never give out your Social Security number, credit card numbers or other personal confidential information when you receive a telephone call.
If you receive such a call, hang up. If you have already been victimized in this fashion and fear you may have given out personal information to criminals, contact your local FBI field office immediately.
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