WARNING: BOGUS PHONE CALLS ABOUT JURY SERVICE MAY LEAD TO FRAUD

In various parts of the United States, citizens are being targeted by phone calls and threatened with prosecution for failing to comply with jury service in federal or state courts.

The Scam

The caller identifies himself/herself as a representative of the court.  The caller tells the victim that he/she has failed to report for jury duty and that a bench warrant was issued against them for their arrest.  The caller often tells the victim this could all be “just a misunderstanding” or some sort of clerical error that can be straightened out on the phone. The caller then asks for personal and financial information, such as date of birth, social security number, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, and so forth, potentially leading to identity theft and fraud. The caller asserts that the information is necessary to verify the claim and threatens that the failure to provide the information will result in an immediate execution of the arrest warrant. Family members who receive these calls are especially vulnerable to coercion. The callers use threats against the victim’s career and other persuasive measures to obtain the information, and stress that the issue is current and urgent.  These calls are not from real court officials.

Our Court does not call jurors (or anyone else) asking for social security numbers and other private information.  If a person fails to appear for jury duty, the Court will send a “failure to appear” letter to the person, asking them to tell us, in writing, why they did not appear. Our Jury personnel may call the morning of the assigned jury duty inquiring of their whereabouts, but will not ask for confidential information.

Jury duty is a vital civic responsibility and should be taken seriously by all citizens.  However, it is a crime for anyone to falsely represent himself or herself as a federal court official.  The federal judiciary takes seriously such an offense.

Any person receiving such a telephone call:

• Should not provide confirmation of Social Security Numbers or bank/credit card information to the caller;

• Should not send the caller any written personal information, such as Social Security Numbers or bank/credit card information for review;

• Should record the perpetrator’s phone number if Caller ID is available;

• Should immediately contact the court at (206) 370-8408.

If you have questions regarding jury duty or the jury process, please call our Jury Office at (206) 370-8408 or (800) 488-3550.