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ID scam preys on jury duty fears

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By Laura A. Bischoff, Staff Writer Updated 8:49 AM Friday, December 4, 2009

COLUMBUS — An old scam is once again rearing its ugly head as con artists use it to dupe people into turning over personal information, the Ohio Supreme Court and Attorney General Richard Cordray warned.

The con plays out as follows:

A scammer calls a potential victim, claiming to work for the court system.

The caller tells the victim a warrant has been issued for his or her arrest for failing to report for jury duty. In order to clear up the alleged issue, the victim is told he or she must provide their Social Security number, date of birth and in some instances a credit card number.

Cordray says don’t fall for it.

“The best rule of thumb is to never give out your personal information over the phone regardless of who is calling. Unless you initiate the call, you really don’t have verification of who is on the other end,” he said.

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