by KYW's John Ostapkovich
The Camden County sheriff is warning of a new phone scam which threatens arrest if a person doesn't hand over personal information.
Camden County, NJ sheriff Michael McLaughlin says that while he has no reports of this scam hitting locally, it's good to get the word out about people pretending to be checking up on those who have dodged jury duty:
"The caller claims to be a jury coordinator. And if (the victims say) they never received a summons or anything, they start asking them for their Social Security number and/or their date of birth so he or she can verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant."
Sheriff McLaughlin says that while it is possible to have a warrant issued for a jury scofflaw's arrest, it's very rare -- and it would come only after contact was made in writing, not simply over the phone.
He worries that providing information could lead to identity theft, which would take years to straighten out.
His bottom line: never divulge that sort of data over the phone.
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