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Juror Scams

WARNING: Bogus Phone Calls on Jury Service May Lead to Fraud

In various parts of the United States, citizens are being targeted by phone calls and threatened with prosecution for failing to comply with jury service in federal or state courts.

In the calls, the threat of a fine for shirking jury service is used to coerce those called into providing confidential data, potentially leading to identity theft and fraud. These calls are not from real court officials.

Federal courts do not require anyone to provide any sensitive information in a telephone call. Most contact between a federal court and a prospective juror will be through the U.S. Mail, and any phone contact by real court officials will not include requests for social security numbers, credit card numbers, or any other sensitive information.

Jury duty is a vital civic responsibility and should be taken seriously by all citizens. However, it is a crime for anyone to falsely represent himself or herself as a federal court official. The federal judiciary takes seriously such an offense.

Persons receiving such a telephone call should not provide the requested information, and should notify the Clerk of Court's office of the U.S. District Court in their area.

http://www.uscourts.gov/FederalCourts/JuryService/JurorScams.aspx

 

The Court has been informed of a new phishing scam that is making its way around the Internet. In this scam, an e-mail is sent from JuryDuty@donotreply.gov informing the recipient that he or she has been selected for jury duty and needs to appear at the Federal Courthouse within three weeks. The e-mail contains a link that allegedly has additional information. A sample of the e-mail can be found below.

These e-mails are not from the Court. You should not respond to them, nor should you click on any links contained in the e-mail. If you receive such an e-mail, please contact the Court at 605-330-6600 and ask to speak with the Jury Clerk.

Sample Email:

From: JuryDuty@donotreply.gov [mailto:JuryDuty@donotreply.gov]
Sent: Wednesday, August 05, 2015 10:50 AM
To: Terri Applegate
Subject: You are summoned for Jury Duty for a Federal Case

You are summoned to appear for Jury Duty for a Federal Case.

You are hereby notified your name was selected from current tax payers in your County,
and that you need to appear within 3 weeks from now at the Federal Courthouse.

Please bring two types of Identification with you, preferably your drivers licence as one of these.

Note, if you do not appear, you will automatically be fined. Here is more information about the case, case number:

LMF5463FF54

Your truly,
Sherry Mason
Clerk Of The Court