So, you get a call from the federal court or US Marshals.
They tell you that their records show you didn’t show up for jury duty. You have broken the law!
Their next gambit is that you’ve got two choices: you can pay the fine, or you can get arrested. They’ll happily tell you that they accept payment over the phone or by wire service, both are convenient and easy to pay your fine by.
When Jury Duty Scammers Call – PUT AWAY your credit cards!
But, Stop right there! No not take out your wallet.
There is always a third option. It’s an easy to use one called hanging up.
That’s the most legitimate and preferable options, because you’re on the phone with a scammer.
The US Court system on Tuesday put out a warning about scams that are “more aggressive and sophisticated” than anything they’ve ever seen, according to Melissa Muir, Director of Administrative Services for the US District Court of Western Washington.
The jury duty scams rely on the same pressure that the other scams do: they try to scare you to the point that your judgment jumps out the window.
The details change, but the spook-you factor remains.
So, “Your computer is infected and currently attacking our network with malware! We’re not happy with that, but luckily for both of us, we can help you. For a fee…”
…turns into, “No jury duty? You’re in big trouble, bub, and we’re sending over the US Marshals now! All you have to do to get out of this mess is pay this fine. Visa, MasterCard, wire service?”
And yes, that’s how these call scammers work, preying on law-abiding but not-completely-certain users (which, let’s face it, is most of us) by squeezing them into paying a penalty to make up for some sort of alleged wrongdoing.
In the case of fake support calls, the pressure comes from the fact that your “infected” computer is allegedly involved in attacking other people’s networks; in the fake jury duty call, the pressure comes from your alleged non-compliance with a court instruction.