Scammers posing as local law enforcement are calling, saying you missed jury duty and are threatening “serious legal consequences”. They first leave a message for you to call back, visit a website, or schedule a meeting. Next, they may demand payment of a fine and ask for your sensitive personal information. They may claim there is a warrant out for your arrest.
Jury Duty Scam Alert by VT Attorney General issued December 4, 2024.
While all these claims are very jarring, hang up and do not pay! Always take steps to verify the legitimacy of unknown officials, using publicly available resources. Connect with people you trust to discuss unexpected, urgent, unsettling, or unknown communications.
For jury duty specifically, know that you would be issued a letter, and you would not receive a threatening call about it, even if you actually did miss an actual jury duty assignment. Also know that, in order to serve jury duty, you first have to be selected through a process called a jury draw that occurs at the courthouse. If you were supposed to serve as a juror, you would have been informed.
When in doubt, check it out. The Consumer Assistance Program is your local Vermont resource for scam prevention information: ago.vermont.gov/cap or 1-800-649-2424.
Within the past few years, online ticket scammers have become an increasingly prevalent issue. Regarding inflated ticket prices, counterfeit tickets, and multiple copies of the same ticket being distributed, here are some ways to be an expert ticket buyer.
Avoid Ticket Scams Infographic
Be aware that third-party ticket vendors can sell the same ticket to more than one person, making both tickets invalid.
Understand that third-party ticket websites such as SeatGeek, StubHub, and Ticketmaster can sell tickets at a much higher cost than face value.
Stay alert while on the internet. Scam Websites can appear very similar to a venue’s legit website and may appear at the top of your search as a sponsored website, so always check the URL.
Do not use untraceable forms of payment such as Venmo, PayPal, or gift cards when possible.
Many times you will not know the validity of a ticket until arriving to the venue.
Vermont’s event vendors have cautioned consumers about fake ticket sales by encouraging consumers to check the latest information with the event vendor before purchasing tickets. The best way to avoid ticket scams is by purchasing tickets directly through the venue you plan to attend.
Contact the Vermont Attorney General’s Consumer Assistance Programby calling 1-800-649-2424, or by going to our website at ago.vermont.gov/cap to file a complaint if you have encountered fraudulent ticket sales.
A heartfelt thank you to Jeanette Voss and Martha “Mickey” Pullen for sharing your stories in a recent Seven Days article, Cyber Scams Are Leaving Older Vermonters Destitute, Frustrated and Saddled with Tax Debt. Your stories help us understand that scams are malicious criminal operations that succeed through thievery. You have helped others to see that responding to a scam is deeply human and natural. Scams are crimes. Scams are never the fault of the people they harm.
Findings by the Federal Trade Commission as well as AARP support that we humans are most likely to respond to scams when our emotions (positive and negative) are elevated—from anger to love, we have recently experienced two or more stressful life events, are living in isolation, and have increased exposure to scam encounters.
It could look like this: A new mom on maternity leave who lost her beloved father receives a call about an unpaid IRS tax debt. When scammers use carefully scripted dialog, the notion of unpaid taxes seems plausible. One may question whether claimed dependents had been properly updated, or if a burial tax was overlooked.
This new mom receiving an unwanted call from the IRS was me. During the call, I felt panic rise as I readied myself to engage. My sleep deprivation and my baby saved me. Upon receipt of the call, I was rushing out the door with my crying child. I decided I was too tired and overwhelmed to engage in a meaningful conversation. Exasperated, I said, “I just can’t right now,” and hung up. Once I was seated in my car, I expressed a long exhale. In that moment, I started laughing as I said aloud, “That was a scam!” My baby was not amused.
When involved in a scam our brains are likely to experience an “amygdala hijack” —a term defined by Emotional Intelligence expert Daniel Goleman. This hijack is a natural response to emotional stimuli. When it is triggered, our response bypasses the orderly and fact-checking part of our brain. Scammers trigger this hijack by using manipulative psychological tactics. In the recent experience I shared above, my emotions helped me out of a tough situation. But I have experienced scams before where my emotion-based actions led me to monetary loss.
Scams frequently occur in isolation. Because of this, one of our best prevention strategies is to stay connected with our communities. That way, whenever you encounter something that is unexpected, urgent, unsettling, or unknown, you can engage a trusted contact, or community organization. This trusted support serves as your sounding board. They will help you to ask questions and expose the scam. Regularly engaging your trusted contact, such as when thinking about buying from a new website or making a high-dollar purchase, helps you to form scam avoidance habits. As burdensome as it may seem to activate a prevention strategy involving others, think of it like locking your door. It is a safety measure that will hopefully stop a thief from stealing from you.
If you have responded to a scam, know that you are not alone. Please report all scams to the FBI’s IC3.gov so that they can aggregate data to identify scam activity.
Steps when funds or personal information have been jeopardized:
STEP 1: Immediately contact the Financial Institution’s Fraud Department.
STEP 2: Immediately report to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center: ic3.gov or call 1-800-CALL-FBI If personal information may have been stolen or compromised: IdentityTheft.gov provides step-by-step recovery guidance or call 1-877-438-4338
STEP 3: Consider engaging a trusted contact who will support you through the process.
STEP 4: Engage Vermont supports when you need additional help:
Vermonters have reported an uptick of the Computer Tech Support phishing scam, specifically claiming to be from “V-Tech Solutions”. This scam usually comes as a robocall claiming that the recipient will be charged for antivirus software and instructing them to call back to cancel the charge.
Scam Alert issued by Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark
This scam uses a common scare tactic of an unauthorized charge made to one of your accounts. When you receive this or similar calls, hang up and take steps to verify.
Check with your financial institution directly to determine whether a charge has been made.
If you notice unauthorized charges on your account, dispute them through your financial institution.
Even if you get a call from a company that you do business with, call them back on a number you know to be valid, such as the number referenced on your contract or statement.
If you receive this or other scam calls, report it to the Consumer Assistance Program, at 1-800-649-2424 or online at ago.vermont.gov/cap
Vermonters have become all too familiar with the difficulties of disaster flooding. We know from experience that as we seek to recover, time is of the essence. We may bypass research gathering steps to respond as quickly as possible to the most pressing needs. When encountering urgent, unexpected, or unfamiliar consumer transactions, like agreements for repair, or disaster recovery, avoid scams and fraud by slowing down and taking steps to verify. Engage trusted contacts to help consider the next steps and to help you make informed consumer decisions.
You can further avoid scams and fraud by looking out for the following known disaster scams:
Government imposter relief scams may claim to be the Federal government or the State of Vermont or FEMA. FEMA scams manifest as fraudulent inspectors that request fees for service, or administrative personnel that call to “verify” your information but are phishingfor your personal information. Such relief help scams may even claim they can speed up your FEMA relief application for a fee.
Avoid this scam: Connect with FEMA directly online. Seek updates regarding whether emergency declarations have been made: https://www.fema.gov/disaster/declarations and follow updates from the Vermont Emergency Management.
Phony charities that solicit funds claiming to support recovery efforts. The Vermont way is to help our neighbors. We all want to help, whether it is through volunteering or donating money. Sadly, scammers use the same contact methods as legitimate charities (phone, online, mail).
Dubious contractors may appear with promises to restore damages immediately in exchange for immediate payment. Such contractors urge you to act fast, may offer lower prices, and do not have credentials—though they might say they are “registered and insured,” these are unverified statements.
Avoid this scam: Vermonters must be extra critical about hiring home improvement contractors. Never pay in full upfront for a home improvement project. Make sure you have a contract. Reference our Home Repair How-To Checklist for more tips on finding and hiring home improvement contractors.
Please watch out for these scams and report them to the Consumer Assistance Program by phone at 800-649-2424 or online at ago.vermont.gov/cap
