as reported by WICS ABC Newschannel 20 - Springfield, Illinois
Due to high-profile court cases in the public's eye, from national coverage of the Jodi Arias trial to the local ongoing Harris trial, the spotlight of jurors and being summoned for jury duty has raised some questions.
This comes especially after reports of jury duty identity theft phone scammers targeting people right here in Illinois.
Getting called for jury duty is something many people go through during their lifetime. But now, scammers are calling up innocent people saying they're local jury duty coordinators.
They then tell the victims they are facing certain penalties for missing jury duty, which local officials say is not how the system works.
"This is just another one of those scams somebody came up with," Springfield police Deputy Chief Cliff Buscher said. "It sounds legitimate. I'll call and say, 'I'm from the county and you've been summoned for jury duty and I need all your information to verify it.' And people don't think and they give that out. And then they are using all your information to open accounts and that, and they are getting all of your money."
Getting all of your money is exactly what these jury duty scammers are trying to do. They are armed for identity theft, tax fraud, and hacking into your bank accounts, leaving you left with nothing but questions.
"They're calling them, telling them, 'You got jury duty. We need to verify your name, your social security number, your address and all that,'" Buscher said. "That's never going to happen."
Getting a phone call for jury duty is the number one clue that shows it's a scam.
"You're going to be sent a questionnaire, you fill out the questionnaire and then about three and a half weeks before you're actually going to be called to serve, you're going to get a notice," Judge Leslie Graves of the 7th Judicial Circuit said. "Never a phone call. You are to call in once you receive the summons, but no one will ever call."
State officials say jury duty is always arranged by mailed letters and never by the phone.
Government officials don't harass people over the phone, and are advised to report any issues to local law enforcement officials.
Never give out private or personal information over the phone, such as your social security number or credit card information, and if you are ever in doubt, get the caller's information and make sure you tell local authorities.
Graves wants to remind the public if you are summoned for jury duty, make sure you show up.
"This is a very important process, and if we don't have people to serve on juries, we can't do our jobs," Graves said.
Sangamon County officials also say the juror summoning process is fairly simple and you are advised to contact local law officials if you have been involved in this jury duty scam.
http://wics.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_11254.shtml?app_data=%7B%22pi%22%3A%22519e7d331dbff1967a000025%22%2C%22pt%22%3A%22wall%22%7D
Due to high-profile court cases in the public's eye, from national coverage of the Jodi Arias trial to the local ongoing Harris trial, the spotlight of jurors and being summoned for jury duty has raised some questions.
This comes especially after reports of jury duty identity theft phone scammers targeting people right here in Illinois.
Getting called for jury duty is something many people go through during their lifetime. But now, scammers are calling up innocent people saying they're local jury duty coordinators.
They then tell the victims they are facing certain penalties for missing jury duty, which local officials say is not how the system works.
"This is just another one of those scams somebody came up with," Springfield police Deputy Chief Cliff Buscher said. "It sounds legitimate. I'll call and say, 'I'm from the county and you've been summoned for jury duty and I need all your information to verify it.' And people don't think and they give that out. And then they are using all your information to open accounts and that, and they are getting all of your money."
Getting all of your money is exactly what these jury duty scammers are trying to do. They are armed for identity theft, tax fraud, and hacking into your bank accounts, leaving you left with nothing but questions.
"They're calling them, telling them, 'You got jury duty. We need to verify your name, your social security number, your address and all that,'" Buscher said. "That's never going to happen."
Getting a phone call for jury duty is the number one clue that shows it's a scam.
"You're going to be sent a questionnaire, you fill out the questionnaire and then about three and a half weeks before you're actually going to be called to serve, you're going to get a notice," Judge Leslie Graves of the 7th Judicial Circuit said. "Never a phone call. You are to call in once you receive the summons, but no one will ever call."
State officials say jury duty is always arranged by mailed letters and never by the phone.
Government officials don't harass people over the phone, and are advised to report any issues to local law enforcement officials.
Never give out private or personal information over the phone, such as your social security number or credit card information, and if you are ever in doubt, get the caller's information and make sure you tell local authorities.
Graves wants to remind the public if you are summoned for jury duty, make sure you show up.
"This is a very important process, and if we don't have people to serve on juries, we can't do our jobs," Graves said.
Sangamon County officials also say the juror summoning process is fairly simple and you are advised to contact local law officials if you have been involved in this jury duty scam.
http://wics.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_11254.shtml?app_data=%7B%22pi%22%3A%22519e7d331dbff1967a000025%22%2C%22pt%22%3A%22wall%22%7D
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