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Sheriff warning residents about jury duty scam

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By Jeff Rivenbark - email

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - The Mecklenburg County Sheriff is warning residents to be on guard about a scam in which people are being summoned to appear in court for jury duty.

Some victims have received a phone call about a jury summons supposedly from the sheriff's office, but the Mecklenburg County sheriff says his office has nothing to do with selecting people to appear in court for jury duty.  

Usually, someone claiming to be a jury coordinator calls the victim.  The caller tells the victim they missed jury duty and that a warrant has been issued for their arrest. 

When the victim begins to object, the caller asks for the victim's social security number and date of birth.  The caller pretends to need this information to verify information and to cancel the warrant for the victim's arrest.

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Click here for more details about this scam.

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So far, this type of fraud has been reported in nearly a dozen states as close as Virginia.  Both the FBI and federal court systems have issued nationwide alerts about the scam.  A spokeswoman for the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office says there have been no cases, yet, of this happening here.

"Citizens should never give out personal information over the telephone," said Sheriff Bailey. "There are people out there who thrive on the innocence of people in our community, and we all pay the price."

If you receive one of these phone calls, contact the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office at 704-336-2543.

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