SUBJECT: Security Awareness - Jury Duty Scam
Corporate Security has become aware of a new “phishing”
scam that is gaining momentum. This one is designed to solicit your Social Security number and Date of Birth by posing as a summons
for Jury Duty. The caller claims to be a jury coordinator. If you protest that you never received a summons for jury duty, the scammer
then asks for your Social Security number and date of birth in order to “verify the information” and “cancel an arrest warrant.” The
moment you divulge such information your identity has been stolen.
The scam has been reported in 11 states so far. What makes
this scam particularly insidious is that they use intimidation over the phone to try to bully people into giving information by pretending
they're with the court system. The FBI and the federal court system have issued nationwide alerts on their web sites to warn citizens
about the fraud. We’ve provided an FBI link for more information:
http://www.fbi.gov/page2/june06/jury_scams060206.htm
Please
be highly cautious about ever giving out your personal information to anyone over the phone or Intranet. Sadly, identity theft has
become a continuing part of our information age.
Scam cover stories will change from time to time. But they usually employ the following
tactics:
-
Pose as a reputable company or government agency looking for information, such as serial numbers on our business machines.
-
Claim
a sense of urgency, insisting that immediate action is required or your account or business operation will be negatively affected.
-
Assume
a very persuasive or even intimidating tone.
-
Call from a number that is blocked, so the call cannot be traced back.
Remember,
the scam only works if they get the information. Your best protection is your own heightened awareness. If you ever get a suspicious
phone call asking for personal information, be sure to take note of the phone number that is calling. Scammers usually block their
number. So ask for their name and contact number and say you’ll return their phone call once they’ve been verified. Most scammers
will not release this information and will in all likelihood hang up.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact your
local security office and/or myself. Thank you.
