Lady Lake Police Chief Chris McKinstry is warning that identity thieves are using a “Jury Duty Scam” to obtain personal information from citizens throughout Central Florida.
The scammers are telephoning individuals identifying themselves as local law enforcement or court employees and advising these individuals they failed to report for jury duty and attempt to collect a fine.
In many cases the scammer indicates a warrant has been issued for their arrest and requests the individual to provide confidential information such as Social Security number and date of birth for “verification” purposes.
Law enforcement or Clerk’s Office employees never make such calls. In fact, initial notifications as well as follow-up notices are processed through the US Postal Service.
You can avoid becoming a victim of this type of identity theft scam by simply refusing to provide the information requested by the caller.