Court: don’t give up financial information to people claiming
they represent court
While there have been no recent local reports about a phone scam
designed to pry personal information from people by claiming they
failed to report for jury duty, San Benito County court officials
are encouraging the public to be on alert for the fraudulent
calls.
In the ruse, a scammer poses as a court official and claims that
the person being called missed jury duty and may be arrested if
they don’t provide information such as their Social Security number
or other financial information. People falling prey to this scam in
the past have reported having their identity stolen as the scammer
uses the information to apply for credit cards or loans.
Court: don’t give up financial information to people claiming they represent court
While there have been no recent local reports about a phone scam designed to pry personal information from people by claiming they failed to report for jury duty, San Benito County court officials are encouraging the public to be on alert for the fraudulent calls.
In the ruse, a scammer poses as a court official and claims that the person being called missed jury duty and may be arrested if they don’t provide information such as their Social Security number or other financial information. People falling prey to this scam in the past have reported having their identity stolen as the scammer uses the information to apply for credit cards or loans.
“We don’t ask for Social Security numbers and unless you call us, we don’t call you,” said Nancy Iler of the San Benito County Courts. “I’d recommend if someone gets that call that they say ‘Let me get back to you’ and get the phone number and the name of the person. They can then call our jury commissioner at 637-4057, ext. 45 if they have concerns.”
The jury scam was reported as recently as last week in Solano County, where at least two people reported receiving calls from a person claiming to be a court employee. The scammer sought confidential information that the courts would never ask for, particularly over the phone.
The state’s Administrative Office of the Courts’ website reports a resurgence in the jury identify theft scam, noting that at least a dozen states have issued public warnings about the ruse.
Court staffers “will never ask past or prospective jurors for financial details, credit card numbers, bank account or personal information like Social Security numbers,” the alert stated. “Please do not provide this type of information to anyone claiming to be associated with the courts.”
The message says anyone contacted by a person they believe is posing as a court employee and requesting personal information should contact the fraud unit of their local police department as well as the jury office of their local court.
Court officials may contact people by phone, but they will not request personal, financial information.
