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WARNING: Juror Phishing Scam

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

 

Although we are not aware of activity in the Western District of Michigan, a number of district courts around the country have reported today that citizens in their districts are being targeted by a juror "phishing" email.  "Phishing" scams are attempts by hackers or other unauthorized individuals to get personal information, usually for use in identify theft or other illegal endeavors.   

 

The message some citizens have received today looks convincingly official.  It asks recipients to provide personal information such as a social security number, date of birth, mother's maiden name, etc.  A PDF form is attached to the message and recipients are asked to email it back to the originator.  

 

This is not a legitimate message from the United States District Court.

 

The United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan never requests that personal identification information be sent directly in an email response. Any legitimate request by our court for information is initiated by formal written correspondence and includes instructions for a juror participant to be authenticated over a secure connection.  

 

Should you receive a suspicious email like that described above, please do not complete and return it.  Instead, contact our Jury Administrator at (616) 456-2383 immediately.

 

Click here for more information about this scam and other juror scams.