New Twist: Fake Websites Used in Jury Duty Scam

Scammers have been known to falsely accuse targets of missing jury duty, then claim they need to pay money to avoid being arrested. In a new twist, scammers are now telling their targets to click a link that opens what appears to be an official government website – but is actually a convincing fake controlled by the scammer.

This scam starts with a call or text claiming to come from a local law enforcement agency. After the consumer hears the concerning news, they are sent a link to a website with an official-sounding URL and page design. The website asks the consumer to enter their birthdate and Social Security number to find out how much they owe; it might claim they have thousands of dollars in unpaid fines for not appearing for jury duty. Now, the scammer has the consumer’s private information.

The next step is to convince the consumer to send money. The scammer might ask for payment by card to be entered through the same website, which gives them access to the consumer’s financial data, or for the consumer to pay at a “government kiosk” – which doesn’t really exist, and is the scammer’s name for a cryptocurrency ATM. If a consumer follows instructions and puts cash into a crypto ATM, it will be very difficult to recover.

Remember:

· Real law enforcement officials won’t ask for immediate payment over the phone or threaten to arrest people for hanging up on a call.

· Courts never ask for sensitive personal information over the phone like a Social Security number.

· Only scammers insist on being paid with cash, gift cards, cryptocurrency, a payment app, or a wire transfer service. They use these methods because they are hard to track and recover.

· To verify if a message from law enforcement is real, ignore the call or text and reach out to local law enforcement using verified official contact information.

· Instead of clicking a link in an unsolicited text, find the court’s real website and search for jury duty information there.