Jury Duty Scam Could Lead to Identity Theft

It seems every time you turn around, Scammers are coming up with new ways to get between you and your money, your identity, your life. This one has been around before, but it seems it's coming up again. Please, be very careful

The FBI and U.S. Courts are warning consumers to be alert for an increasingly common -- and effective -- telephone-based identity theft threat known as "the jury duty scam."

In the jury duty scam, the scammer, posing as a local court worker, tells you that a warrant has been issued for your arrest because you failed to report for jury duty. Since you probably had not received a jury duty notice, you will say so. At this point, the scammer will ask for your date of birth and Social Security number so that he or she can "verify" your jury duty notice. Of course, a Social Security number and date of birth are all the identity thief needs to make your life downright miserable. But wait, there's more. Depending on your willingness to give up your basic information, the emboldened scammer may go on to ask you for credit your card information.

The jury duty scam works on the victims' emotions. The shock of being told they are about to be arrested will place most people off guard and less vigilant about protecting their personal information.

via Jury Duty Scam Could Lead to Identity Theft.