ATLANTA, Ga. — The Atlanta Division of the FBI is warning citizens about a telephone scam claiming the recipient has failed to report to jury duty. The scam caller is reportedly impersonating a law enforcement officer or court officer, and claims a failed jury duty report will be punished with criminal prosecution or jail time. The scammer then says that the call recipient can avoid arrest by paying a fine and asks for payment information.
The scammer may be able to recite titles like authentic badge numbers of legitimate law enforcement officers or court officials, names of federal judges, and courtroom addresses to make the scam appear credible.
If someone receives a call or email with the information above, do not give the caller any personal information, credit card numbers, prepaid cards, or money. No court or law enforcement agency will ever call you and ask for money or any other personal identity details over the phone. If someone misses a jury duty date, they will receive an alert of it through U.S. Mail, not by phone or email.
Here are some tips from the FBI to avoid becoming a phone scam victim: Always be suspicious of unsolicited phone calls.
- Always be suspicious of unsolicited phone calls.
- Never give money or personal information to someone with whom you don’t have ties and did not initiate contact.
- Trust your instincts: if an unknown caller pressures you, or says things that don’t sound right, hang up.
- If concerns remain about the caller’s claims, verify the information with the appropriate law enforcement agency or court officials.
If you receive a fraudulent jury duty/failure to appear scam call, report it with a description of the caller and any available caller ID information to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.ic3.gov.
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