- This topic has 11 replies, 1 voice, and was last updated 16 years, 11 months ago by .
-
Posts
-
I got this info from someone not prone to FWing emails and such, so I tend to trust her research skills. Plus, I can see how this could easily be true. Even if it’s not, just consider it though most of you would know not to give this info out over a phone, regardless of intimidation tactics:
Jury Duty Scam!
This has been verified by the FBI (their link is also included below). Please pass this on to everyone in your email address book. It is spreading fast so be prepared should you get this call. Most of us take those 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 asks you for your Social Security number and date of birth so he or she can verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant. Give out any of this information and bingo; your identity was just stolen.
The fraud has been reported so far in 11 states, including Oklahoma , Illinois , and Colorado . This (swindle) is particularly insidious because they use intimidation over the phone to try to bully people into giving information by pretending they are with the court system. The FBI and the federal court system have issued nationwide alerts on their web sites, warning consumers about the fraud.
Check out warning on FBI web site here: http://www.fbi.gov/page2/june06/jury_scams060206.htm
Snopes.com says this is true… hang up.
You should NEVER give out any personal information out over the phone ESPECIALLY to someone that has called you
If anyone calls me asking for information, I ask them what they already have so I can tell them if it’s right or wrong. If they want to check my Social Security number, they must already have it, so it’s up to them, not me, to read it out.
I’ve stopped no end of callers “from AT&T” who said I was eligible for a service based discount, but who were actually trying to switch me to another AT&T reseller, by simply asking them what number they called. Usually they have an excuse for not knowing, which is stupid since they just called it, but sometimes their autodialer displays the number and they can tell me, so I then ask them the number of my second (unlisted) line, which they never know.
The one time someone from AT&T did call, I asked what number he’d called, and he responded with that number and added “And you also have…” which was my second line number. In other words, he EXPECTED to be asked to prove his phone call was genuine.
That’s the key thing, here. Someone who is genuine doesn’t object to being questioned about the validity of their call.
The Castle [Dave wrote:“]That’s the key thing, here. Someone who is genuine doesn’t object to being questioned about the validity of their call.
Perfectly put!
Good question to ask anybody The Castle (Dave) I worked for AT&T (the good AT&T not the old SBC) for 37 years in the engineering dept, never with customers, but my late husband did work with customers. I do know that all AT&T personnel always have to be able to prove who they are whether by phone or in person.
darjeb wrote:Good question to ask anybody The Castle (Dave) I worked for AT&T (the good AT&T not the old SBC) for 37 years in the engineering dept, never with customers, but my late husband did work with customers. I do know that all AT&T personnel always have to be able to prove who they are whether by phone or in person.
Linda, who would be The Castle (Linda) except she’s not on here, now works for AT&T. By trade she’s a telephone technician, though that’s not what they have her doing at the moment. Anyway, the level of security they have at her workplace is astounding. She has to have ID at all times, and be prepared to prove who she is even to people who see her every day. On the few occasions I’ve had to go to the parking lot to retrieve something from Linda’s car, I really get worried that Security is going to come thundering out of the building and wrestle me to the ground.
And really, if you think about it, anyone calling to verify you, you usually know or youre calling them. And even then, they only ask for the last 4 of your Social; never your full number.
The Castle [Dave wrote:“]
darjeb wrote:Good question to ask anybody The Castle (Dave) I worked for AT&T (the good AT&T not the old SBC) for 37 years in the engineering dept, never with customers, but my late husband did work with customers. I do know that all AT&T personnel always have to be able to prove who they are whether by phone or in person.
Linda, who would be The Castle (Linda) except she’s not on here, now works for AT&T. By trade she’s a telephone technician, though that’s not what they have her doing at the moment. Anyway, the level of security they have at her workplace is astounding. She has to have ID at all times, and be prepared to prove who she is even to people who see her every day. On the few occasions I’ve had to go to the parking lot to retrieve something from Linda’s car, I really get worried that Security is going to come thundering out of the building and wrestle me to the ground.
I wish my workplace had level of security, really.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
