I got this in email today. Posting it here only because it has been validated. According to snopes, it's old, but I had never heard of it before, so I thought others might not be aware of it, either. It's a good thing to know.
" JURY DUTY SCAM -
This has been validated at http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/juryduty.aspcom and the FBI http://www.fbi.gov/pressrel/pressrel05/092805.htm
Please pass this on to everyone in your email address book.
It is spreading fast, so be prepared should you get this call. Most of us take those summons for jury duty seriously, but enough people skip out on their civic duty, that a new and ominous kind of scam has surfaced. Fall for it and your identity could be stolen, reports CBS.
In this con, someone calls pretending to be a court official who threateningly says a warrant has been issued for your arrest because you didn't show up for jury duty. The caller claims to be a jury coordiator. If you protest that you never received a summons for jury duty, the scammer asks you for your Social Security number and date of birth so he or she can verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant. Sometimes they even ask for credit card numbers. Give out any of this information and bingo! Your identity just got stolen.
The scam has been reported so far in 11 states. This (scam) is particularly insidious because they use intimidation over the phone to try to bully people into giving information by pretending they're with the court system. The FBI and the federal court system have issued nationwide alerts on their web sites, warning consumers about the fraud.
Please. Pass this on! "
" JURY DUTY SCAM -
This has been validated at http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/juryduty.aspcom and the FBI http://www.fbi.gov/pressrel/pressrel05/092805.htm
Please pass this on to everyone in your email address book.
It is spreading fast, so be prepared should you get this call. Most of us take those summons for jury duty seriously, but enough people skip out on their civic duty, that a new and ominous kind of scam has surfaced. Fall for it and your identity could be stolen, reports CBS.
In this con, someone calls pretending to be a court official who threateningly says a warrant has been issued for your arrest because you didn't show up for jury duty. The caller claims to be a jury coordiator. If you protest that you never received a summons for jury duty, the scammer asks you for your Social Security number and date of birth so he or she can verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant. Sometimes they even ask for credit card numbers. Give out any of this information and bingo! Your identity just got stolen.
The scam has been reported so far in 11 states. This (scam) is particularly insidious because they use intimidation over the phone to try to bully people into giving information by pretending they're with the court system. The FBI and the federal court system have issued nationwide alerts on their web sites, warning consumers about the fraud.
Please. Pass this on! "
