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Warning of Juror Fraud

WARNING: Juror Fraud    
Bogus Phone Calls regarding Jury Service May Lead to Fraud.

In various parts of the United States, including Wisconsin, 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. The caller may also demand immediate payment of a fine and ask for you to provide a Moneycard of some kind.  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 or email, if provided; 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 service 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 such an offense seriously.

Persons receiving such a telephone call should not provide the requested information, and should notify the Jury Administrator of the incident - (414) 297-1209.  Although the court cannot pursue legal actions, we need to be aware of such incidents.  In addition, report to the Department of Consumer Protection - (800) 422-7128 and to local police.