McGraw
CHARLESTON -- West Virginia consumers should be wary of another telephone scam regarding bogus calls about jury duty, according to state Attorney General Darrell McGraw's office.
A press release from McGraw's office says the scheme is making its way across the state. Victims say an automated message claims there is a warrant for their arrest and threatens imprisonment for a failed jury duty appearance. The fraudulent phone calls claim to originate from a federal or state court, and represent that consumers may avoid jail time if they pay a fine with their credit cards over the phone.
McGraw says consumers should check caller ID on incoming calls and to avoid giving out personal information including policy numbers, dates of birth, social security numbers, credit card numbers or bank account information over the telephone or on the Internet.
"Do not be threatened by someone who is demanding your personal information," McGraw said in the release. "Never offer information. Always verify the identity of the person on the other end of the telephone.
"Remember that scammers will typically just hang up if confronted or threatened with a call to the police or attorney general."
McGraw's office said issues or changes regarding jury duty always are handled by mailed letters. Federal and state courts do not notify the public of jury duty by telephone.
