Consumer Group Warns Of ‘Jury Duty’ Phone Scam

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Consumer protection officials are warning North Dakota residents about a new scam involving jury duty.

The director of the Consumer Protection Department in the state attorney general's office, Parrell Grossman, says the scammers, posing as a law enforcement officer, call victims and accuse them of failing to show up for jury duty. And, they threaten to send an officer to arrest them unless they pay a cash penalty.

Grossman says the swindlers usually ask victims to send $1,000 to $2,000.

KXMB-TV (http://bit.ly/2fV3OjX ) reports the callers sometimes ask for personal information under the guise of collecting information for the jury pool. Grossman says city, state or federal courts would never contact potential jurors asking for confidential information over the phone.

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