FBI Warning of Telephone ‘Jury Duty’ Scam

The FBI is warning all Hawaii residents about a telephone scam about people supposedly delinquent from jury duty.

The scam begins with someone posing as a deputy calling the victim and telling the person that they missed their call to federal jury duty and would be arrested immediately.

The caller says to avoid arrest, the victim should pay a fine. They are then instructed to go to a Longs Drug Store to obtain a $500 “green dot” money order and then call a telephone number where they are to provide numbers from the back of the money order so it can be redeemed.

The people conducting the scam attempt to make it credible by providing a “deputy’s” name and badge number as well as the names of federal judges and other information, said Vida G. Bottom, special agent-in-charge at the FBI’s Honolulu office.

None of these activities are part of the federal court system’s protocol, Bottom said, and the public should not provide personal information over the phone.

Anyone receiving such a call is asked to call the Honolulu FBI at 808-566-4300.