Identity Theft Scam

[Suzanne Sutton]

[:"blue"]Identity Theft Scam[/]

[:"blue"] This involves jury duty of all things. The scam artists calls you up and pretend to be from the local courthouse. They accuse you of having ignored a summons for jury duty and tell you a warrant has been issued for your arrest. When you deny having received the summons, they assure you that they can clear everything up if you'll answer a few simple questions--asking for your name, address, birth date, Social Security number and other personal information that the thieves then use to commit identity theft.

Courthouses from Maryland to California have reported hearing from victims of this scam. Several cities have posted warnings about this on their websites. Never, never reveal private personal or financial information if you did not initiate the phone call. Folk who have fallen victim to this scam should alert their local courthouse, monitor their bank and credit card statements and pull their credit reports to see whether they've become a victim of this identity theft. Source: Los Angeles Times, October 9, 2005.

Suzanne[/]

[LifeHiscost]

Thank you, Suzanne.