Cybersecurity firm ESET has issued a renewed warning as jury duty scams continue to proliferate globally, targeting citizens with fraudulent calls, texts, and emails designed to elicit payments or sensitive information under the threat of legal repercussions.
These schemes have been on the radar of institutions like the United States Courts and the UK’s Chartered Trading Standards Institute for years, and despite extensive public awareness campaigns, scammers are refining their techniques to bypass skepticism.
Victims typically receive unsolicited communications from individuals impersonating law enforcement officers or court officials.
These messages threaten immediate legal consequences or arrest if recipients do not address an alleged failure to attend jury duty.
The fraudulent correspondence frequently features official-sounding language aimed at instilling panic and urgency, compelling individuals to comply without verifying the claims.
In many instances, scammers employ advanced spoofing techniques to mimic legitimate caller IDs or email domains, making their outreach appear credible.
Prey on Civic Duty With Sophisticated Tactics
Phishing and smishing remain core components of these scams, where emails or text messages replicate official branding and use alarming language to provoke hasty reactions.
Links embedded within these communications often direct victims to phishing sites designed to harvest personal and financial data.
A hallmark of such scams is the demand for payment through unconventional methods-cryptocurrency, wire transfers, gift cards, or instant payment applications like Zelle or Venmo-all of which are difficult to trace and rarely reversible.
In addition to demands for immediate payment, scammers often solicit sensitive information such as Social Security numbers, further risking victims’ exposure to identity theft and subsequent financial fraud.
According to the Report, ESET emphasizes that legitimate authorities will never request payment or sensitive personal information over the phone, via email, or through text messages for missed jury service.
Official notifications regarding jury duty, including missed dates or fines, are communicated exclusively through formal channels such as USPS mail in the United States.
Modern Social Engineering
To mitigate the risk of falling victim to such fraud, ESET advises the public to avoid clicking on unsolicited links or divulging information to unverified sources.
Any threat or demand for payment should be met with skepticism, and individuals should verify the legitimacy of the contact by reaching out independently to the purported agency using official published contact details.
The company also encourages the use of up-to-date anti-malware solutions to help filter out phishing attempts and regular review of scam advisories from authoritative bodies such as the Federal Trade Commission.
In the event of a suspected scam, individuals are urged to disengage immediately, document the interaction, and report it to relevant authorities, including local police and the FTC.
Additionally, victims should contact their financial institutions to secure affected accounts and consider freezing credit to prevent unauthorized activity.
ESET underscores the importance of maintaining composure, verifying all claims independently, and refusing to yield to intimidation or high-pressure tactics.
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