WARNING: Bogus Phone
Calls on Jury
Service May Lead to Fraud
In various parts of the United States,
citizens are
being targeted by phone calls and threatened with
prosecution for failing to
comply with jury service in federal or state courts.
In the calls, the threat of a fine for shirking jury
service is
used to coerce those called into providing confidential
data, potentially
leading to identity theft and fraud. These calls are not
from real court
officials.
Federal courts do
not require anyone to provide any sensitive
information in a telephone call. Most contact between a
federal court and a
prospective juror will be through the U.S. Mail, and any
phone contact by real
court officials will not include requests for social
security numbers, credit
card numbers, or any other sensitive information.
Jury duty is a vital civic responsibility and should
be taken
seriously by all citizens. However, it is a crime for anyone
to falsely
represent himself or herself as a federal court official.
The federal judiciary
takes seriously such an offense.
Persons receiving such a telephone call should not provide the
requested information, and should notify the Clerk of
Court's office of the U.S.
District Court in their area.