BBB Warns Of Jury Duty Scam

If someone calls you claiming you missed a summons for jury duty and that you are going to be arrested, it may be a scam, the Better Business Bureau said Friday.

Scammer callers claim to be jury duty coordinators or court workers. They tell their victims an arrest warrant has been issued for failure to report for jury duty. Scammers respond to protests by asking for a Social Security number and date of birth to verify the information and to cancel the arrest warrant, according to a news release. The scammers may also ask for credit card information.

?Give out any personal information and wham! Your identity has been stolen,? says Dale Dixon, chief evangelist for the BBB serving the Snake River Region. “When you’re told you’re going to be arrested, it jilts you, puts you off guard and makes you a little less vigilant.?

Official U.S. court workers say the courts never ask for personal information over the phone. In reality, workers are instructed to follow up with prospective and no-show jurors by conventional mail, rarely, if ever, by telephone.

The jury duty scam has been sporadic since 2005.

?Unless you have instigated the call and intend to give out personal information, never give out your personal information over the telephone,? the BBB said.