Jury Duty Scam

A senior receives a phone call from the county courthouse saying that because she missed jury duty that week, a warrant for her arrest was being issued. The caller says the local judge had given him a list of jury "no-shows" about to be arrested that included the senior's name, phone number and address (which the scammer probably found in an ordinary phone book). When the senior protests, the caller asks for a Social Security number for confirmation.

It's yet another identity theft scam that tries to scare people into divulging personal information such as birth dates, social security numbers, and credit card account numbers. After originating in upstate New York in 2001, it has spread to other states. These calls may actually appear on your caller ID to be coming from the county courthouse - a technique called "spoofing" which allows scammers to choose any telephone number they want and have it displayed on a recipient's caller ID.

Authentic jury duty notifications, as well as "no-show" summons, are almost always delivered by mail. Local, state, and federal judicial officials would never ask for personal information over the phone.