FBI Warning: Beware Jury Duty Scam
From Bald Truth Staff, (c) www.artharris.com, all rights reserved
With so many looming criminal trials, from the accused child molester in Satsuma, Florida scheduled for state court in Palatka June 22 on sexual battery charges against a child under 12, to ex-cop Drew Peterson charged with murdering at least one wife, we wanted to make sure no Bald Truth reader fell for the latest jury duty scam.
The FBI has put out an alert, a warning that details what to do if the phone rings and a so called officer of the court berates you for missing jury duty. But you didn’t receive the summons, you say? Likely story, he sneers, threatening you with arrest, unless he can find the summons you say you didn’t get. Nice guy, you think, just give him your address, social and other identifying information, and he can look it up and send you another.
Right. Fall for it and your life may never be the same, as the identity thief takes you to the cleaners. It’s happening across the country. Read on for the FBI’s advice.
FBI RELEASE, JUNE 2:
THE VERDICT: HANG UP
Don’t Fall for Jury Duty Scam
06/02/06
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 than 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 a special agent in the Minneapolis field office who has heard the complaints. “They get people saying, ‘Oh my gosh! 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.”
More Information
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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 receive 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 just as 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.
June 4th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
Thanks for the Information Art. Take care.
Sincerely, Debbie in CALIF.
June 4th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
So I take it no new news on Haleigh?.Where in the flippin hell is Haleigh!!!?????????????
June 4th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
Thanks Art for the warning from the FBI, so many people fall for this stuff over the phone, I never give out any info, If they are really calling you they already have that information. Just hang up on them. Thats what I do anyhow lol.
June 4th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Incredible. Amazing the lengths the scammers will go to steal from people. I hope the LE catches whoever is behind this and makes an example out of them.
SICK!!!!
June 4th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Art,
I’m glad you’re writing about this. Something somewhat similar happened to me awhile back. My 2yr. old daughter (now 13yr.old) was diagnosed with Cancer. After 5 years of treatment and astronomical bills, we thought we were done with all of it, especially after learning she was “cured” by American Cancer Society standards. What a relief right? Well, you’d think so.
A few years later, the phone rings, someone tells us that we still owe a small bill to the children’s hospital, by not paying it, we run the risk of her not being treated, if in fact the cancer ever came back. (always a fear in our minds) so we of course pay it immediately. This was just the beginning of a long nightmare. We apparently had good enough credit to purchase a home, cars, boats, credit cards, etc. It took a long time to straighten it out, not to mention that my husband went to jail, (by the way he had never had a traffic ticket) but apparently the person using his information, also used his name when he got caught stealing something. What a pain in the butt this was. Everyone is innocent in jail/prison, and it was no different when my husband was trying to tell the officers he was innocent, it wasn’t him. They were like…yea right. Anyway, as I said, it took awhile, but got it straightened out, but I’m glad you’re warning people about it, because if the childhood cancer wasn’t a nightmare in itself, believe me, this was surely right up there with it.
Thanks again,
Wendy
June 4th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Art – There are so many scams out there that you have to keep on your toes…I get calls everyday…
In March I received my jury summons papers (via mail) and called the court house with a few questions. They do not call and ask for information over the phone…All is done by mail…
I have calls that my warrenty is running out on my auto… I ask them which auto – they ask me to hang on , they hung up on me….
I’ve had them call me and say they wanted me to refinance my house so that I wouldn’t loose it… I don’t have a morgage…
On callers ID some of these places read private #… That is a red flag right there…
Anymore, I do not just pick up my phone…I always look at my callers ID first…SAD HUH!!!
I call all of them THEM bc I don’t know who they are…
June 4th, 2009 at 8:00 pm
You really should have a ’side bar’ here to give us a ‘blinking’ warning every week.
So far, I think this is my favorite quote by Art Harris,
“Thanks for keeping the faith, and for coming back.
June 4th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
End Quote
June 4th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
My Concern Be Watch Beware.By Shamby
June 4th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
I saw a TV show recently (I cannot remember the name, sorry) that had people acting this out, meeting a person in a restaurant saying she missed jury duty and she actually gave the people her vital information.
The show’s intent was to teach people of this scam and to make sure they do not fall for it.
I am betting that show gave these scammers the idea to do this via telephone.
Kind of backfired, I’d say.
~Brandi
June 5th, 2009 at 8:25 am
I have never heard of any court in florida calling you about missing jury duty, they just summond you court or arrest you. never call, they dont want to warn you. you might take flight. HA! HA! HA!
June 5th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Hi Art,
Do you remember way back when the bloodhound indicated there was something in that dumpster? Had it already been emptied? (between Her disappearance and time they looked there) Possibly her body had already been delivered to the dumps. Do you have any info on that?
June 5th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
Thanks for staying on the case of other missing children, Art..Haleigh is important, but until LE gives us more info, and we see new evidence in the case, it is at a standstill…I read Jeff Hardy’s presser,(meeting with LE, and FBI) of June 4th…In it was stated they will hold another meeting in a month, unless Haleigh is found..How much is the award now? A very large award amount may be the answer, if it hasn’t already been increased..I still believe she in within a 2-3 mile radius of the Cummings home in a shallow grave..She has probably been moved, but only in a different direction…I do think she will be found, possibly by someone who happens to spot her unexpectedly…as in the Nevaeh case..(if it turns out it is in fact Nevaeh)…
IMO
June 5th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
While this has never happened to me before that I can recall , but if it did I would of given him fake numbers and info just for the hell of it . The only thing we really get the most of is scams about winning lotteries or draws that don’t exist , or you pay the person a price just to claim a prize . So many have fallen for that one .
June 5th, 2009 at 11:12 pm
Thanks Art for the warning. It also reminds me of how we all have to have our
radar on out there. If someone threatens you to get information, don’t be a victim by giving them what they want because no one deserves to be threatened. Report actions like this to the authorities. Stay safe Art.
June 6th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Lefpa38
Re dumpsters…I can tell you LE checked every dumpster in the county within hours of Haleigh gone missing, and the one near the trailer at least three times, my sources say, part of a missing child checklist they followed.
June 6th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
Awesome take down! If it werent for the fact that le found all kinds of incriminating evidence in this mans home, I might have even slightly entertained the fact that he could be innocent, but looking at this vid, and seeing how he is, blaiming the whole world and that everyone is out to ‘frame’ him, sounds like a typical jackass lier to me, sorry art for the cursing but I have no tolerance for this!!! Good work Art and Cobra, you are both in my prayers as well as Haleigh everyday!!!!
June 6th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Thank you Art. I learned several years ago not to give out any information on phone.
Wendy – that is the lowest of low that a someone would take advantage of your daughter’s medical history, and then proceed to ruin your life. I confess. I would have paid the “bill” too. Thank you for sharing that. I caregive for my mother and get calls from the accounting department of her doctors. I will remember your story.
June 6th, 2009 at 7:37 pm
Art, I know LE has checked the dumpsters, but has the landfill/s been checked? I would think this was done after finding nothing in the dumpsters…
About the scams…There’s also one out asking for donations, claiming to be from the Sheriff organization in helping the families of fallen policemen/women…I donate to a legit one, but twice in the last year I have received calls from fake organizations.. Ask lots of questions, get a name, phone number, then call your local office to see if it’s legit…
June 7th, 2009 at 8:56 am
Art thanks for the warning. Stay safe and I hope you will find Haleigh soon. You are in my prayers ,as well as Cobra.
Remember Monroe Michigan in your prayers. They all need some spiritual comfort since the finding of a child. A little girl just covered in cement. This is more than likely Naeveh. May she rest in peace. I pray for her JUSTICE!! GODS SPEED
June 7th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
It was 5 yr. old Navaeh, she was buried and covered in cement at the riverside…. Where is Haleigh???? I can’t help but cry my heart out… How could anyone be that cold??? They don’t deserve to even live…
Misty I hope you read about Naveah…. Please do the right thing for Haleigh… go in and get your time line right….TELL THE TRUTH…How can you just sit back and make it harder on LE.. They will figure out what, when and why…You have to be hiding something when the truth is so much easier…Is getting married worth all of this??? Are you getting your house with the little white picket fence and children that you dreamed of? Or is it fading away? Misty, Truth, trust, and respect have to come first.. Ask yourself if you have all three….Why did Ron marry you to keep you close? You said he did not call you an FB on the 911 tape, go back and listen to it again.. TRUTH MISTY, TRUTH.
June 9th, 2009 at 7:23 am
I recently had a scam try to be pulled on me. Hope this helps someone. I live in Frankfort, KY. My sister and I are very small breeders of poodles. We have had 2 ads in the Lexington Herald Newspaper about 3 times in 3 years. Here is the scam- A man called asking if i still had the two poodles from an old ad that was in the newspaper. I said no, they were gone. He then ask if i raised dogs? I said yes, sometimes. He then ask for my tax number. Since I don’t handle that aspect of the business, I said he needed to talk to my sister who was not at home at the time. He said he was from the State Revenue Service that he was checking to make sure our “business was on the up and up”. And that we paid our due taxes on our very small sell of dogs!! This scam is also listed on some websites on the internet explaining that the government would not be doing this!!!! He did not get any information from us on the phone, thanks goodness. My sister said it was a scam from the beginning. She was right. Please everyone be careful and never give out ANY info on the telephone. Also, Thanks Art for all your great work and updates.
June 9th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
oh wow, how did i post that in the wrong article, anyway, good thing I read this one too because I just realized i commented on the cobra takedown and not this one, sorry for the mixup art… also I really cannot STAND those scammers, there are a lot of them from Nigeria who email you and say that they have some long lost aunt winnie who has an inheretance (cs) and that she is going to put it in your band ROTHF..HERES WHAT YOU DO: at least this is what I did, I wrote back, I told them I would love to meet them and give them the money but I didnt feel comfortable doing it through the mail because it was about 5,000 that I wanted to deposit, (specifically told them my husband would be mad if he saw the money being taken out of my account)so I set them up and told them I would meet them at some address that didnt exist which was in the middle of a nowhere road!!!! they fell for it and told me they would meet me there real early in the morning, hahaah they must have been sitting for hours waiting for me but I was a no show hahahaha. I still laugh about it to this day, I never heard back from them again needless to say lol.
June 17th, 2009 at 1:31 am
Art,I just wanted to say thanks for the info…My mother was just talking to me a few weeks back regarding a strange phone call she had received…She told me it was first a man saying my mother owed hospital bills and if she did not pay by phone they were going to have her arrested!My mom freaked out and hung up!might I say she is a mom of 5 and grandma to 4 boys..About 5 minutes later the phone rang and it was a woman My mom could hear kids yelling in the background the woman said she needed my moms bank account # or she was going to be sued or worse arrested..she was scared and worried but this type of stuff is going on everywhere and people should be aware of this crap.Godspeed Haleigh Cummings.we all love you!
June 17th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
Never under estimate a Shambi (with a ‘y’) or a Brandi (with an ‘i’).
June 17th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
For all you do…
May God Bless!!!
Even if you have to rely on all those ‘commercials’ to survive…some have mighty, fine product to sell and promote…
Better than most antic-depressant medications and ’such’ all hyped up…
Sure do like that ‘Chop Chop’ contraption thrown in the sink since you couldn’t take it apart to clean it…yet, you could always ’steam clean it’ with any one of those many household ‘thangs’ priced down from when they were first so-called invented…guess nobody knew that a ‘temperature’ can kill.
Reminds me of Anna Nicole Smith and her wonderful doctors, and mother, and son, and so-called boyfriend and Hugh Hefner and affiliates.
What is stupid?
For sure it’s got nothin’ to do with rich and famous.