| The Office of Inspector General was informed of a potential scam that has affected communities in more than a dozen states, including Maryland and Virginia.
The scam consists of someone calling you and identifying herself/himself as an officer of the court. You are informed that a warrant is out for your arrest because of failure to attend jury duty. Once you announce that you never received a notice to appear for jury duty, you are asked to provide personal information for verification purposes. The individual may ask for your social security number, your date of birth, and possibly a credit card.
Victims fall for the scam because they become vulnerable upon hearing there is a warrant out for their arrest. They are told the whole matter can be cleared up by paying a fee, usually by giving your credit card number.
Courts have warned that true court officers contact prospective jurors by mail and not by phone, even those who fail to appear for jury duty.
Remember, unless you've initiated contact; NEVER give out your personal information such as: social security number, credit card number, bank account and routing numbers over the phone or through electronic mail.
For more information about different scams, call
Assistant Inspector General for Investigations Aaron R. Jordan at ext.
3744.
For information about reporting suspected fraud,
waste or abuse to the Office of Inspector General, please call an OIG
investigator: Special Agent Tom Zigan at ext. 3104; Special Agent Jay Hancock ext. 6991; Special Agent
Cornelia Green at ext. 3315 and Claressia Jones at ext. 3685 (TTY/TDD Users: 202-326-4115).
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