There is a jury duty scam going around. In this scam you receive a failure to appear for jury duty notice by mail, or by phone. The notice may state that a warrant for your arrest will be issues unless you provide confidential information to “verify” your identity. The notice may be accompanied by a questionnaire asking for your personal information.

The scam may work because you’re caught off guard, and fearful of being arrested, you cooperate by providing information. Be aware, however, that court workers never call asking for personal information of this sort. Most courts use the mail system and do not call prospective jurors.

Our suggestion is to remember these tips when considering giving out such information over the phone:

1. Do not give out personal confidential information, including your Social Security or credit card numbers to anyone you suspect of trying to commit fraud against you.
2. If you should get such a call and wonder if it is true, you can double check the legitimacy of the call by looking up the court number yourself and placing your own call to the courts.
3. Be vigilant about any calls asking for personal information. There are many variants of scams, and the jury-duty call is just one.

Please feel free to contact the Springfield Police Department if there is any way we can assist you.

Respectfully,

John A. Smith, Chief of Police
330-784-1609/Fax-330-794-0015