U.S. Marshal warns of 'jury duty scam' in Alabama, other states

[McFurd]

AL.com Alabama - 3/16/2017 - The U.S. Marshals Service is warning about an ongoing 'jury duty scam' that has victimized more than 100 people and led to the loss of tens of thousands of dollars. U.S. Marshal Marty Keely said the scam, which usually targets the elderly, is happening in the Northern District of Alabama, as well as other states. About 117 people have reported scam attempts and those who have fallen prey to it have collectively lost about $72,000. This is how the scam attempt is carried out: The caller, acting as the U.S. Marshal, a deputy U.S. marshal or other law enforcement officer, calls a victim on the home landline and states that he or she has missed federal jury duty. The scammer will provide information such as titles and badge numbers of legitimate law enforcement officers or court officials, names of federal judges, and courtroom addresses in an attempt to make the scam credible.Typically, the scammers can ''spoof" his or her telephone numbers to appear on caller ID as if they are from the court or a government agency. In some cases the scammer uses threats of immediate arrest where the victim will be sent straight to jail. Read more @ http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index ... uty_1.html