Law enforcement officials are warning people to be aware of a scam known as the Jury Duty Scam in which citizens are told they missed jury duty. The scammers can use the tactic in two ways to victimize unsuspecting individuals.

Typically, the scammers contact people over the telephone and identify themselves as an employee of the clerk of the court's office. They tell the person who answers the call that they were called for jury duty and failed to appear.

Fined for Ducking Jury Duty

They tell the person that they will have to go to jail because they ducked jury duty. Then the scammer tells the victim that they won't be arrested if they pay a fine.

In an earlier version of the scam, which is still used by some scammers, the caller ask the victim to provide their Social Security numbers and date of birth to verify that they are indeed the person who was called to jury duty. This is an attempt at identity theft, officials said.

If the person falls for the scam and provides the caller a method of payment, that too can be used to steal the victim's identity, as well as take their money for the "fine."

Court Officials Rarely Call

Court officials say their offices would never call and demand money. If you did in fact miss jury duty, you would simply be sent another letter. People are rarely fined for missing jury duty, but if they were, they would first have to go to court and appear before a judge.

Tips to Avoid Becoming a Victim

The jury duty scam has recently been reported in several areas in South Carolina, as well as other states.

To avoid becoming the victim of the scam, the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs has offered the following tips:

• Don't give out any personal identifying information on any unsolicited telephone call. In most cases, courts correspond with potential jurors via the postal service.
• Ask the caller questions. Ask their name and the exact office where they work. Hang up and call the court office at a number you know is correct. Officials said the scammers will usually hang up on you if you start asking questions.
• Don't rely on Caller ID to verify that the person is calling from a court or law enforcement office. Caller IDs can be faked. Again, ask them what number from which they are calling.

The jury duty scam is one of many that scammers try to perpetrate every day. For more information, see Scams and Cons.