Jury Duty Scam

[MA-Caver]

From a e-mail received today. Since I'm not a registered voter I don't have to worry in too much about this... Ya'll do though. So watch it.
If the guy says he's from the "court" challenge them asking WHICH court and have him identify the district and judge quickly. They should know right off the bat who they're calling for.
Of course... anyone with common sense knows they don't CALL people to say "we're coming to arrest you..." they just show up.

From: Juan Morales Sent: Friday, January 04, 2008 11:02 AM To: All EADS-NA-DS3 Employees Subject: Jury Duty Scam
From An FBI Bulletin.
The Verdict: Hang up - Don't fall for Jury Duty Scam
The phone rings, you pick it up, and the caller identifies himself as an officer of the court. He says you failed to report for jury duty and that a warrant is out for your arrest. You say you never received a notice. To clear it up, the caller says he'll need some information for "verification purposes" your birth date, social security number, maybe even a credit card number. This is when you should hang up the phone.
It's a scam.
Jury scams have been around for years, but have seen a resurgence in recent months. Communities in more that a dozen states have issued public warnings about cold calls from people claiming to be court officials seeking personal information. As a rule, court officers never ask for confidential information over the phone; they generally correspond with prospective jurors via mail.
The scam's bold simplicity may be what makes it so effective. Facing the unexpected threat of arrest, victims are caught off guard and may be quick to part with some information to defuse the situation. "They get you scared first," says an FBI special agent in the Minneapolis field office who has heard the complaints. "They get people saying, "Oh mygosh! I'm not a criminal. What's going on?" That's when the scammer dangles a solution - a fine, payable by credit card, that will clear up the problem. With enough information, scammers can assume your identity and empty your bank accounts.
"It seems like a very simple scam," the agent adds. The trick is putting people on the defensive, then reeling them back in with the promise of a clean slate. "It's kind of ingenious. It's social engineering. In recent months, communities in Florida, New York, Minnesota, Illinois, Colorado, Oregon, California, Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona and New Hampshire reported scams or posted warnings or press releases on their local websites. In August, the federal court system issued a warning on the scam and urged people to call their local District Court office if they received suspicious calls. In September, the FBI issued a press release about jury scams and suggested victims also contact their local FBI field office.
In March, USA.gov, the federal government's information website posted details about jury scams in their Frequently Asked Questions area. The site reported scores of queries on the subject from website visitors and callers seeking information. The jury scam is a simple variation of the identity-theft ploys that have proliferated in recent years as personal information and good credit have become thieves' preferred prey, particularly on the internet. Scammers might tap your information to make a purchase on your credit card, but could easily sell your information to the highest bidder on the internet's black market. Protecting yourself is the key: Never give out personal information when you receive an unsolicited phone call.......just hang up!
Juan V. Morales Corporate Facility Security Officer EADS NA Defense
Security and Systems Solutions, Inc. Juan.Morales@EADS-NA-Security.com
Ph: 210.523.6000 Fax: 210.680.3981

p.s. thanks crushing for the verification via Snopes... I'd rep you but I gotta spread the love some more.

 

[crushing]

Also, Snopes says the Jury Duty Scam is true. For more info: http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/juryduty.asp

 

[jks9199]

The Jury Duty scam, and other variants, are real. They happen.

But, folks, while I can't speak for any agency in particular, I'm not aware of a court that will do you the "courtesy" of calling to allow you to pay a fine, whether it's for missing jury duty or anything else. Among other things... how do they know who they're talking to for sure? Most courts, if the judges decide to take action on people who simply don't show up for jury duty, are going to do it in a decidedly personal way.

In my area, once your name is picked from the juror pool (usually either tax records or voter lists or both), you get a notice in the mail. If, like me, you're exempted from jury service, you mark the reason and return the postcard. Or... you answer the generic questions and send it in. They give you further directions afterwards; some courts require you to appear each morning, while others will give you a phone number to call each day to see if you're needed. I'm not sure what they'd do if you didn't return the card from the notice.

 

[Kacey]

In my area, once your name is picked from the juror pool (usually either tax records or voter lists or both), you get a notice in the mail. If, like me, you're exempted from jury service, you mark the reason and return the postcard. Or... you answer the generic questions and send it in. They give you further directions afterwards; some courts require you to appear each morning, while others will give you a phone number to call each day to see if you're needed. I'm not sure what they'd do if you didn't return the card from the notice.

According to a friend mine, who's a lawyer, they do very little; I asked him several years ago when I was sent a notice for jury duty on what turned out to be Yom Kippur, a day when I was unavailable for religious reasons - I sent the notice back with a request for a change of date, which I was given - when I asked my friend about it, he told me that the reason my request was so readily granted was that so few people turn up in the first place that they will accommodate anyone who has a reasonable request; they really don't do anything about those who don't appear, because there are too many of them. You could be issued a citation for contempt of court; you could be fined; other actions could also be taken - but realistically, it's not likely that anything will happen.

On the other hand, it's your civic duty to appear - that's what I did, once they changed the date - and chances are you'll be done that day anyway. I spent 6 hours sitting in the jury pool room, and then they sent all of us who hadn't been pulled for potential juries home. My friend, the lawyer, told me that since I was called on a Monday, it wasn't likely I'd be there more than the day anyway; for longer trials, they usually select jurors on Thursday or Friday, so people can make arrangements (if needed) for the next week.

 

[searcher]

I'm not sure what they'd do if you didn't return the card from the notice.

My Wife works for the local District Court and I know what they do here. The judge will have the issuance of a warrant. We live in a small community and they don't mess around here. You may want to check with a lawyer in your area for clarification.

 

[Kreth]

My Wife works for the local District Court and I know what they do here. The judge will have the issuance of a warrant. We live in a small community and they don't mess around here. You may want to check with a lawyer in your area for clarification.

Well, damn. I actually do have to report for jury duty this week. I was going to blow it off and tell them that I read it was a scam on teh internets. :uhyeah:

 

[exile]

Well, damn. I actually do have to report for jury duty this week. I was going to blow it off and tell them that I read it was a scam on teh internets. :uhyeah:

Well, why not try it and see what happens? The worst they can do is.... um... well, on second thought, not such a good idea... :lol:

 

[jks9199]

According to a friend mine, who's a lawyer, they do very little; I asked him several years ago when I was sent a notice for jury duty on what turned out to be Yom Kippur, a day when I was unavailable for religious reasons - I sent the notice back with a request for a change of date, which I was given - when I asked my friend about it, he told me that the reason my request was so readily granted was that so few people turn up in the first place that they will accommodate anyone who has a reasonable request; they really don't do anything about those who don't appear, because there are too many of them. You could be issued a citation for contempt of court; you could be fined; other actions could also be taken - but realistically, it's not likely that anything will happen.

My Wife works for the local District Court and I know what they do here. The judge will have the issuance of a warrant. We live in a small community and they don't mess around here. You may want to check with a lawyer in your area for clarification.

And now you see why I didn't say what they do... Different states, even different courts within a state, and even sometimes different judges or clerks of court do things differently. Some may follow up the initial notice with a second request while others may send a deputy to cordially invite you to visit the courthouse, and show cause why you shouldn't be arrested for disregarding the notice.

Contact your local courthouse to find out their practices -- and do it BEFORE they contact you.