There is a new identity theft scam out there that involves jury duty. The scammers pose as the Government and call their potential victims claiming they missed the jury duty appointment. They will ask you for your social security number, date of birth and other personal information they need to commit identity theft. The victims hand this information over because they feel like they are in trouble with the authorities. Some times the scammers will threaten the victims with warrants or jail time if they do not comply. Once the scammers have the victims information they will use it to open up credit cards and make other purchases.
How do you avoid this scam? It’s simple, never give your out any personal information to somebody who has called you. If you get an unusual call where somebody asks for your personal information tell them that you are in the middle of something and ask for them number so you can call them back. Most scammer will give you a bad number if they give you one at all. If they do give you their number then search for it online and if there are posts about it being a scam contact the proper authorities to report it.
Below is the NBC affiliate KOMU’s report on the scam.