Essex Sheriff Warns Residents of Jury Duty Scam

Sheriff Armando Fontoura has issued an alert to Essex County residents to be wary of potential identity thieves who pose as jury managers.

“Our department is currently investigating two recent cases wherein individuals, posing as representatives of the New Jersey court system, came to the homes of local residents and sought to obtain information, such as Social Security numbers, birthdates and driver’s license information," said Fontoura, in a press release.

In reality, judiciary personnel don't ask for personal identifiers over the phone, by e-mail or in person. The only official jury duty notification is a summons that includes a self-addressed return address to the Superior Court for the county in which it was sent.  The summons does ask for a birth date and a driver’s license number, but Social Security numbers are optional. 

According to Sheriff Fontoura, another version of the scam is employed over the telephone, when callers tell potential victims that they failed to report for jury duty and a warrant has been issued for their arrest. When the victim says he or she never received notice, the caller says he'll need information for verification purposes and sometimes asks for credit card numbers to pay off the fine allegedly imposed by the court.

While jury duty scams are more prevalent in Florida, New York and California, New Jersey jurisdictions, such as the Essex and Somerset County Sheriff’s Offices and police departments in North Plainfield, Atlantic Highlands, Madison and Hillsborough, have deemed it necessary to issue warnings in the past. 

The suspect in the Essex County incidents has been described as a 5'10" black male in his late 20s or early 30s who weighs about 180 pounds.

For information about jury duty in New Jersey, visit the Superior Court’s Web site.