Jury Duty Scam On The Rise In Fairfield: Police

FAIRFIELD, CT — Fairfield Police are warning residents of the “jury duty scam” which they say has increased in town recently. Over the last several days, police have received an increase in reports involving the jury duty scam, according to Lt. Robert Kalamaras.

“The jury duty scam remains one of the most successful intimidation/imposter schemes,” Kalamaras said in a press release. “Scammers can not only get a quick payoff but also enough personal details for future identity theft.

“The caller claims to be members of law enforcement, whether it’s the local police, the sheriff’s department or the U.S. Marshals Service. They usually provide information that you've failed to appear for jury duty, failed to answer a court summons or have an active warrant for your arrest which they may tell you was just signed by a judge.”

Read more from the press release below:

Your caller ID may show phone numbers for a courthouse or law enforcement agency, and the caller may cite names of actual police officers, court officials, judges or town officials. The caller will tell you that you can pay a fine to avoid arrest. They will request this payment through prepaid cards, gift cards or wire transfer. The caller may even ask to confirm your identity by soliciting personal information, including your name, birth date, Social Security number and other ID theft-worthy details.

WHAT DO YOU DO?

Hang up without providing any information about yourself and do not purchase a Green Dot MoneyPak, I-Tunes gift card, or alike.

MORE INFORMATION:

Authentic jury duty notifications, as well as “no show” summonses, are nearly always delivered by mail. In the rare instances that you may by contacted by phone, you won’t be asked for personal information such as your Social Security number, birth date or driver’s license number and you won't be asked to make a payment for a fine over the phone.

Police officials do not make phone calls warning of an impending arrest.

• These fake phone calls often come in the evening, after the courthouse has closed and its employees have left. Gleaning targets’ names and addresses from phone directories or other public records, scammers often call after usual working hours because they know they have a better chance of reaching their intended victims.
• Caller ID can be manipulated to display the name and phone number of any agency or business, so don’t be fooled. If you have concerns, look up the courthouse phone number (don’t rely on caller-provided numbers) and verify missed jury allegations with the jury duty coordinator or court clerk’s office.

Image via Shutterstock