With a nationwide jury duty scam reaching area residents, Better Business Bureau Serving Eastern North Carolina is warning consumers and offering tips on how to avoid being taken advantage of.
The scam, which begins with a caller impersonating a law enforcement officer claims that the resident has missed jury duty and must pay a fine in order to avoid jail time. Residents are urged to get a reloadable debit card, provide a bank account number or wire money to the scammer.
“It has been recently reported that these scammers have been using intimidating language, but it is important to know that these people are professionals. Some will choose to do the opposite of intimidation and pretend to play nice in order to get what they want,” said Mallory Wojciechowski, President and CEO of BBB Serving Eastern NC. “All consumers should always remember a legitimate law enforcement agency will never call you and demand payment.”
Here are some tips from BBB Serving Eastern North Carolina to help avoid jury duty scams:
- Don’t let scammers pressure you. If you get a call from alleged court officials asking for financial information and using aggressive tactics, end the phone call and report the scam to BBB and your local sheriff’s office, courthouse or clerk of court.
- Be aware that scammers can mask their identity. Scammers have the ability to use software to disguise how they appear on your caller ID. While calls might appear to be from your local courthouse or police station, it could be a fraudster on the other end of the line.
- Guard your personal information. Giving out sensitive personal or financial information over the phone is always a bad idea. The courthouse already has your personal details and will not ask you to confirm via phone.
- Have questions about the process? If you did indeed miss jury duty, you will be sent a notification in the mail. However, if you have any doubt that a mailing is legitimate, contact your local courthouse.
- Never wire money or send cash to an unknown party. Scammers love to use pre-paid cards and money wires because they are difficult to trace and are same as cash.
For more information regarding jury duty scams, visit bbb.org.
