| Government Affairs |
Don't Let Your Clients Get Taken by Bogus "Jury Duty" Scams
The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office is issuing a warning to beware of several scams that have been making their way around the county as of late. SAMCAR members are encouraged to share this information with current and past clients. The following three scams seem to be the most prevalent.
- Receipt of an unsolicited phone call from an individual who fraudulently claims to be a Deputy Sheriff. Call recipients are told they must pay fees for failure to appear for jury duty. The imposter instructs that in lieu of arrest, payment of fees must be made via prepaid "green dot card" in order to settle the account.
- Receipt of an unsolicited phone call from an individual claiming to be a representative of the Internal Revenue Service. Call recipients are instructed to pay money owed for back taxes to the IRS or be subject to prosecution.
- Receipt of an unsolicited phone call from an individual claiming to be a representative of PG&E. Call recipients are informed that their utility bill is past due and unless they pay the balance immediately, their power will shut off.
The truth is, the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office or any other law enforcement agency, would never contact a member of the public over the telephone demanding they pay fees and/or any fines lest they be subject to arrest for failure to comply. The same holds true for PG&E and the Internal Revenue Service. Home owners are reminded once again to be vigilant and never provide personal information, such as social security numbers and credit card data over the phone and only then if they themselves initiated the phone call. If you or someone your client knows is the victim of any of these scams, contact your local law enforcement agency.
