East Texas Beware of Jury Duty Scam

Ever get those E-mails from a circle of friend(s) warning you about suspect activity involving consumer telephone calls, or unwanted internet strikes?

"Yeah, yeah". I always say they never happen to me, then delete the message and go about my business thinking I'm exempt from scumbag scam artists. Well, up until last Friday that was the prevailing theory, but since getting one of those types of phone calls, my viewpoint has changed.

The jury duty scam is alive and well here in the East Texas region, so I am compelled to remind you, that unless you have received an official document in the mail, and have confirmed such, be wary of divulging personal data to identity thieves.

The inner workings of this trap go like this:

(1) The caller claims to be with the "court system", whereby, you are advised that you have NOT responded to a Jury Duty summons, and a warrant may be issued for your arrest, and

(2) You are requested, even bullied into relinquishing your Social Security Number and birth date for verification. Sometimes the crooks want a credit card number, so you can "pay" the fine for NOT responding.

The key to the scam becoming successful is the fact that you have been blindsided, caught "off guard" if you will. Hearing words like "arrest" and "warrant" play tricks with your mind, and cloud your judgement, sending common sense denominators out the window.

Remember, court appointed employees DO NOT call citizens regarding this matter.