Marathon County Courthouse. MWC file photo.
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — No, the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office will not call you and ask for personal data because you’ve missed jury duty.
That’s the latest tactic being deployed by scammers according to Lieutenant Andrew Seubert. “It’s newer at least to our area,” said Seubert. “Obviously the ‘you have outstanding warrants or fines’ has been going around for a while now, [but this is new.]”
Officers say they’ve received numerous reports of residents being called by someone claiming to be from the sheriff’s office, even spoofing the number and using the name of someone who works for the county. They then tell the resident that they’ve missed a jury duty assignment and need to provide personal data.
Officers say all official notices for things like jury duty will be communicated through the mail by the Clerk of Courts. Neither the Sheriff’s Office nor the Clerk will call potential jurors to ask for personal information. If you’re questing the legitimacy of the request a caller is making you shouldn’t be afraid to take down the person’s name and call back at a later time.
“[The Sheriff’s office] can confirm if that person is working and get you directly to them,” said Seubert.
No matter how convincing or how much pressure you get to turn over the data Seubert says if they called you first, you should question the validity of their claims. A request for something like that will always come through the mail and will involve you calling the agency directly. Additionally, if the scammers are using an out-of-state number that’s another red flag.
Seubert adds that providing personal data to scammers can leave a large, expensive mess to clean up and can damage your credit rating.
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