Residents urged to beware of 'jury duty scam'

The Rosebud News received notice from Falls County Judge Steve Sharp that a jury duty scam has been reported nationwide and warns citizens not to fall victim to the scam.

The FBI and the federal court system have issued alerts on their web sites, warning consumers about a jury duty scam. They are warning consumers about the fraud.

A person calls and claims to be a jury coordinator. An arrest warrant has been issued because you did not report to a summons for jury duty. When you tell them you did not receive a summons, the scammer asks for your Social Security number and date of birth so he or she can verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant.

Give out this information and instantly, your identity was just stolen.

The fraud has been reported so far in 11 states. This swindle is particularly insidious because scammers use intimidation over the phone to try to bully people into giving information by pretending they are with the court system.

Falls County sends out Official Jury Summons. They do not contact citizens in reference to the summons, nor do they ask for personal information.

Persons with questions or concerns about a summons they receive can contact the judge’s office at 883-1426. The only questions asked will be your name and your summons number.

“Don’t make a mistake and give out personal information on the telephone”, said Falls County Court Coordinator Rainey Bennett.

For more information check out the FBI website: www.fbi.gov/page2/june06/jury-scams060206.htm