CLEVELAND — Cuyahoga County officials are warning residents to be aware of a variation on a jury duty scam that is circulating.
According to the county, residents "are reporting higher than usual numbers of scam calls from individuals posing as deputies who claim the resident has missed court appearances."
The new iteration of the old scam involves thieves directing residents to official-looking websites, where they must enter their Social Security number, birthdate, and upload a driver's license to check if they have any outstanding "fines."
The county advised keeping the following points in mind.
- Governments use “.gov” websites. County, federal and court websites do not use other domains, such as .org or .com, which are available to anyone.
- All calls, texts and emails about missed court appearances are scams. Courts send jury notices by U.S. mail, and no signature is required for delivery.
- Law enforcement officers never call people about missed court appearances or to request signature comparisons or fines.
- Never use callback numbers provided in vague messages about legal issues. They lead to scammers.
If you feel like you have fallen victim to a scam, you can report it to the Cuyahoga County Scam Squad by calling 216-443-7226 or by CLICKING HERE.
