Identity theft scam only works because you help

The list of scams involving identity theft continues to grow, and identity thieves are becoming more and more bold each and every day. Identity theft is the crime of stealing someone’s personal information, such as a Social Security number or credit card number and opening credit in that person’s name. The thief spends a fortune, not intending to pay the bills. The thief gets away and the person whose information he stole is stuck having to answer for the expenses. It’s a long tedious process to undo the damage done by an identity thief, and many victims have been forced into bankruptcy.

The latest scam involves jury duty. No one likes to appear for jury duty, but it’s a civic duty that must be done. Plus, the local, state and Federal agencies that empanel juries pretty much insist that those requested to serve actually appear. Penalties for failing to appear for jury duty vary from fines to jail time, and no one wants those. In this latest scam, a person claiming to work for the local court system will call a victim on the telephone to inform the victim that he or she has failed to report as requested for jury duty. This is all a ruse; the victim hasn’t been called for jury duty. Nevertheless, the person on the phone claims that a notice to serve was mailed, that the victim has failed to report, and that a warrant for the victim’s arrest has been issued!

No one wants to be arrested, and the usual response to this phone call is one of panic. The victim will assure the caller that he or she had not received a notice of jury duty, and insists that no harm was intended. At this point, the caller then suggests that the matter is probably just a mistake, and that they can clear the matter up if the victim will just provide some personal information for purposes of “verification.” This verification will probably consist of asking for a Social Security number, a credit card number, and perhaps a date of birth. Armed with this information, the caller tells the victim that they will clear up the misunderstanding. At that point, the caller is free to borrow money, open credit card accounts and do other sorts of financial harm, all in the victim’s name.

This scam, like most identity theft scams, is easily avoided. No responsible government agency will call to request personal financial information for “verification” purposes or any other purpose. If they have you on file as someone who needs to serve a civic duty, then they already have all the personal information they need from you.

If someone calls you, out of the blue, and requests personal and/or financial information from you, do not provide it. By simply refusing to cooperate, you can avoid being a victim of identity theft.

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