Phishing isn’t just for email anymore — it’s always been about social engineering, and people are more likely to respond to false authority over the phone than via email, which has become an untrusted medium in most people’s eyes. Scambusters:
“Hello?”
“This is the county courthouse, wondering why you failed to appear for jury duty this week.”
“Jury duty? I never received a summons!”
“Let’s verify that. What is your social security number?”
Victim, afraid of going to jail, hands over their social without pause.
“Hmmm, that’s not coming up in the computer. What is your date of birth? Mother’s maiden name? …”
After getting the goods, the caller says something like “Ah, our mistake. Please accept our apologies for the error.” But it’s too late.
If you get such a call, ask for a callback number, then look up the number for your county courthouse in the phone book. Or just hang up on them.
In reality, court workers will never call you to ask for social security numbers and other private information. In fact, most courts follow up via snail mail and rarely, if ever, call prospective jurors.