Jan 30, 2008 7:55 am US/Mountain
DA Warns Of Fake Jury Duty Phone Calls To Steal ID
CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (CBS4) ―
The district attorney in Douglas and Arapahoe Counties is warning about a phone scam to steal people's identities. The criminals reportedly call about jury duty and ask for personal information.
Authorities said the callers tell residents they're with the county courts and then follow a scripted dialogue designed to steal identities.
"'You have to do jury duty and so we need your personal information,'" said District Attorney Carol Chambers as she repeated what a typical fake call might sound like. "'Give that to us on the phone.' The person says 'I was never told I had to do jury duty.' They say 'give us your personal information and we'll clear this up.'"
Chambers said the fake court officials can be very intimidating on the phone, often threatening to arrest the victim if they fail to provide information.
Mandy Mora and her husband received one of the fake calls.
"They had Douglas County government on the caller ID and a local phone number and it seemed really fishy because the government is not going to ask for your Social Security Number," Mora said.
The couple questioned the caller and told him they'd be happy to serve if a summons was sent. The caller told them they could do all of that on the phone.
Mora said that's when they hung up.
"A week later they contacted our neighbors asking for the same information about us," she said.
Mora called police and the courthouse. No arrests have been made in her case or others.
"The bottom line is never give out your personal information or financial information on the phone or on the Internet," Chambers said.
The Douglas County Sheriff's Office said it has also received complaints of fake jury duty questionnaires being sent in the bail.
The courts said they will never ask for personal information over the phone or by mail.
Additional Resource:To report suspicious phone calls in Arapahoe and Douglas Counties, call the 18th Judicial District's Fraud Assistance Line at 720-874-8547.
(© MMIX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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