Jury Scams. Recently, the Court has been alerted to several jury scams that have taken place across the district. In four separate incidents, South Dakota residents were contacted via phone and told that they were in contempt of court for failure to appear for jury duty. A Lyman County resident was instructed to travel to the Walmart in Pierre and buy gift cards from the kiosk. Fortunately, the individual contacted a court employee where he discovered that the call was a scam.
Another call involved an individual who was informed that he failed to appear for a federal jury trial in Rapid City before Judge Lange. The caller wanted the individual to post bond for failure to appear. The individual told the caller that he never received a letter or summons from the court. Fortunately, the individual verified the information with the Clerk’s Office and did not send money to the scammer.
In two recent incidents, individuals were called and told that they had missed jury duty. The first person was informed that she would have to pay $4,000 to resolve the issue and was instructed to obtain a money order from the bank. The individual was also told to provide odometer readings prior to leaving her house and upon returning from the bank. The second individual ended the call shortly after the caller threatened him. In both cases, the caller indicated that he knew where the individuals lived and claimed to know where one of them worked.
Regarding jury duty, please keep the following facts in mind:
- The court will always send a jury summons by U.S. Mail. The summons will never request a credit/debit card number, bank routing number, account number, wire transfer, or demand any type of payment over the phone.
- On the day of jury duty, if a juror has not checked-in, the Clerk’s Office may attempt to call the juror and inquire about their attendance. A juror who fails to report for jury duty will be contacted via mail by the District Court Clerk’s Office and they may, in certain circumstances, be ordered to appear before a judge. Such orders will always be in writing and signed by a judge.
- If a juror is summoned to court for failure to appear for jury duty, they will be given an opportunity to discuss the matter with the judge. If a fine is imposed, it will be ordered in open court and reduced to writing.
If you know someone who has been the target of this type of scam, please encourage them to report the incident to the proper authorities. If the caller claims to be from federal court, please contact the FBI office. If the caller claims to be from state court, please contact local law enforcement (Police Department or Sheriff’s Office). It is a federal crime for anyone to falsely represent themselves as a federal court official.
WARNING: Bogus Phone Calls on Jury Service May Lead to Fraud In various parts of the United States, citizens are being targeted by phone calls and threatened with prosecution for failing to comply with jury service in federal or state courts. In the calls, the threat of a fine for shirking jury service is used to coerce those called into providing confidential data, potentially leading to identity theft and fraud. These calls are not from real court officials. Federal courts do not require anyone to provide any sensitive information in a telephone call. Most contact between a federal court and a prospective juror will be through the U.S. Mail, and any phone contact by real court officials will not include requests for social security numbers, credit card numbers, or any other sensitive information. Jury duty is a vital civic responsibility and should be taken seriously by all citizens. However, it is a crime for anyone to falsely represent himself or herself as a federal court official. The federal judiciary takes seriously such an offense. Persons receiving such a telephone call should not provide the requested information, and should notify the Clerk of Court's office of the U.S. District Court in their area. http://www.uscourts.gov/FederalCourts/JuryService/JurorScams.aspx
The Court has been informed of a new phishing scam that is making its way around the Internet. In this scam, an e-mail is sent from [email protected] informing the recipient that he or she has been selected for jury duty and needs to appear at the Federal Courthouse within three weeks. The e-mail contains a link that allegedly has additional information. A sample of the e-mail can be found below. These e-mails are not from the Court. You should not respond to them, nor should you click on any links contained in the e-mail. If you receive such an e-mail, please contact the Court at 605-330-6600 and ask to speak with the Jury Clerk. Sample Email: From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Wednesday, August 05, 2015 10:50 AM To: Terri Applegate Subject: You are summoned for Jury Duty for a Federal Case You are summoned to appear for Jury Duty for a Federal Case. You are hereby notified your name was selected from current tax payers in your County, and that you need to appear within 3 weeks from now at the Federal Courthouse. Please bring two types of Identification with you, preferably your drivers licence as one of these. Note, if you do not appear, you will automatically be fined. Here is more information about the case, case number: LMF5463FF54 Your truly, Sherry Mason Clerk Of The Court