Citizens urged to be on the alert for juror scam

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The scam goes something like this:

A caller out of the blue says you missed jury duty and in order to avoid a fine, just send a payment. The caller also may ask where you work, Social Security number, passwords, banking information – you get the picture.

Unfortunately, not all people do get the picture. While it takes various forms, the scam has less to do with jury duty and everything to do with identity theft, said Charles Perreaud, commissioner of jurors for Monroe County.

The U.S. District Court, Western District, is alerting the public of potential scams of this nature, although there have been no reported instances of late in Rochester or Buffalo.

But it has happened, Perreaud said.

“This happens all over the country and it happens in cycles,” Perreaud said. “It is in the state courts and it is in the federal courts. It’s a function of people who know how to manipulate data and how to obtain it.”

The juror scams have been reported most recently in federal courts in other areas of the country. In New Mexico, a caller demanded $400 payments, although the victims never received jury summonses. The victims were advised to buy a prepaid credit card, call a designated phone number and read off the credit card number.

Federal courts do not require anyone to provide any sensitive information in a telephone call, according to Michael J. Roemer, clerk of the district court in Western New York.

Most of the contact between the court and prospective jurors is through the mail. The same is true of the local courts, which do not call on those who have not been previously summoned or mailed a questionnaire, Perreaud said.

Such offenses are taken seriously because jury duty is a vital civic responsibility and should be taken seriously by all citizens, said Chief Judge William M. Skretny.

“It is a crime for anyone to falsely represent himself or herself as a federal court official,” Judge Skretny said in a written statement.

Citizens are urged to withhold personal information, and if they feel threatened, they should call 911, Perreaud said. His office tries to document such scam calls, but finding out who is responsible is difficult.

In the local case, investigators were able to trace back to a dummy phone number – which is the title of the 1980s Tommy Tutone hit, “867-5309/Jenny.”

“Every time I hear the song I think of that scam,” Perreaud said.

Not too long ago, a similar instance was traced to a comedy website that in essence told visitors if they were this gullible, perhaps there are a few jokes they’d like to see elsewhere on the site. The website owner was ordered to stop.

“It turned out to be a website that just wanted hits,” Perreaud said.

But for many scammers who prey on people who want to do the right thing, they can, and will, get the information they need if the victim is not careful.

“You don’t need a lot of information to get a fraudulent credit card,” Perreaud said.

If anyone who receives a call asking for payments and who has not received information about jury duty in the mail first, do not provide requested information. Also, call the clerk’s office of the U.S. District Court at (585) 613-4017 in Rochester or (716) 551-1721 in Buffalo.