PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

SMS got this from someone at school and I checked it out -- It looks like a legit warning so I pass it on to you (my 4 faithful readers!):

Most of us take summonses for jury duty seriously, but enough people skip out on their civic duty, that a new and ominous kind of fraud has surfaced. The caller claims to be a jury coordinator. If you protest that you never received a summons for jury duty, the scammer will offer to let you off with "just" a fine. They will ask for a credit card as well as a Social Security number and date of birth so he/she can verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant. Give out any of this information and the results could be disastrous. With enough information, scammers can assume your identity and empty your bank accounts.

This fraud is spreading and has been reported so far in 11 states, including California. The scam is particularly insidious because the caller pretends to be with the court system and uses threats and intimidation in an attempt to bully people into giving out their information. The FBI and the federal court system have reported it on their web sites and issued nationwide alerts warning consumers about the fraud. You can read about it at http://www.fbi.gov/page2/june06/jury_scams060206.htm