Some scams keep repeating and with good reason – they work.  Jury duty scams have been with us for many years and they continue to be an effective scam.  They start when you receive a telephone call or a text message informing you that you have failed to report for jury duty and you are at risk of a substantial fine or even arrest.  You are given a number to call and when you do, the scammer then tells you he or she needs to confirm your personal information including your Social Security number.  Some particularly blatent scammers will even ask for your credit card number.  Why you would need that to confirm your identity for jury duty purposes is hard to imagine.  Anyone who provides the information requested will become a victim of identity theft as the information is used to obtain credit, goods and services in the name of the victim.

TIPS

Courts will not contact you by the phone or a text message.  Never give your personal information to anyone whom you are not sure is legitimate.  If you have a question about jury duty, call the number for the court that you know to be accurate, not the one that is provided to you by the scammer.