There is one thing you can count on. Scammers will always come up with new ways to try and get your money. This newest one is sophisticated and starting to pop up more and more, so we want you to be aware of it and know how to spot it.
How Does the “Jury Duty” Scam Work?
Potential victims receive a text, email, or phone call telling them they missed jury duty and there is now a warrant out for their arrest. In order to avoid jail time, the email, text, or phone call will ask for a payment in virtual currency like cryptocurrency. Emails and texts will often appear legitimate and use the real names of police officers. The scammers will often manipulate the caller ID to make it look like the call is coming from a local government office.
Even though this is complex and convincing, there are some simple ways you can spot and avoid the “jury duty” scam.
How to Spot the “Jury Duty” Scam
One of the best ways to spot a scam and avoid it is to know how a legitimate organization would handle the same issue. Warrants are never issued over the phone or by email and are always delivered in person by a police officer or court official. Also, police officers will never ask for payment over the phone or by email.
In general, if there is an unexpected interaction with any organization that ends by asking for personal information or money, you should suspect some type of scam.
What Do I Do if I Think I’m Being Targeted by the “Jury Duty” Scam?
If you are concerned that you’ve been scammed, you can:
- Call the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-FTC-HELP
- Reach out to AlliedFCU through the contact page on our site.
- Reach out to your local courthouse to confirm whether or not you actually have jury duty.
