LOUISVILLE, Ky. — FBI Louisville is alerting Kentucky about a jury duty scam that is circulating the state.
According to a news release, the scammer impersonates a law enforcement officer or officer of the court during the call and claims you failed to report for jury duty. They also may threaten criminal prosecution or jail time.
The scammer then tells you that you can avoid arrest by paying a fine immediately and may ask for payment information or other personal information. Officials said the scammer may also ask you to purchase a prepaid card - like a gift card - for payment.
FBI Louisville says the scammer may provide information like titles and badge numbers of real law enforcement officers or court officials, names of federal judges, and courtroom addresses to make the scam seem real. Scammers may even “spoof” the phone number so that it looks like it's from the court or a government agency when it isn't.
Officials are advising those who receive a scam call or email, that they don't provide any personal information or money.
Federal courts don't call prospective jurors and ask for money or personal information over the phone. If someone summoned for jury duty does fails to appear, that person will be contacted by mail, not by phone or email.
Here are some tips from FBI Louisville to avoid becoming the victim of this type of phone scam:
- Always be suspicious of unsolicited phone calls
- Never give money or personal information to someone with whom you don’t have ties and did not initiate contact
- Trust your instincts: if an unknown caller pressures you, or says things that don’t sound right, hang up
- If concerns remain about the caller’s claims, verify the information with the appropriate law enforcement agency or court officials
If you receive a jury duty/failure to appear scam phone call, you are asked to report it, with a description of the caller and any available caller ID information, online here.
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