Fraud Alert!
September 29, 2005
The Court Won’t Call
This is the message we want to convey to everyone: The courts won’t call you and ask for personal information. Why are we telling you this? Because a new telephone scam has surfaced in which the caller pretends to be an official of the local courts or judicial system. The caller’s intent is to obtain your personal information, which can be used to raid your accounts (bank, credit card, etc.) and steal your identity. The scam works like this:
The caller, claiming to be a court employee, says you missed jury duty and consequently a bench warrant has been issued for your arrest. When the victim replies that he/she never received a notice to appear for duty, the caller then suggests that this may be a mistake, and that with the victim’s cooperation they can probably clear this up over the phone. The caller then asks for social security number, date of birth, credit card and bank account numbers, etc. If the victim resists giving that information, he/she is reminded that an arrest will occur unless this can be cleared up very quickly.
To date, the scammers have primarily targeted military personnel and their
families, but anyone could be targeted; so everyone needs to be on guard.
REMEMBER: Court officials will NOT contact you by phone and ask for personal information. Court communications come by mail.
IF YOU RECEIVE ONE OF THESE CALLS, HANG UP! If you have caller ID on your phone, note the number of the caller and call the Fraud Assistance Line, 720-874-8547.
Need help? Call the CASE Assistance Line at 720.874.8547