Hello and welcome to the skeptic sky to the universe. Today is Wednesday, December 14th, 2005.

This is your host, Stephen Avella, president of the New England Skeptical Society.

With me this week, as always, are the skeptical roads, peridianjilis, chinin, bob novella, good evening, and Evan Burstey.

Hello everyone. So we are full on into the holiday season, and along with all of the Santa clauses and holiday trees and decorations are the scammers.

The Federal Trade Commission, the FTC and other state consumer protection agencies are putting out warnings about the most common scams which are out there.

My favorite of the ones that I read is the jury duty scam. I hadn't heard about that one before. Have any of you heard of that one?

What's that about?

So a caller calls up people on the phone and angrily tells them that they missed their jury duty assignment.

And then in order to straighten out what this logistical mess that involves the person giving the caller their social security number and bank account numbers or why they would want their bank account numbers I can't imagine.

So they just put people off their guard by accusing them of missing their jury duty.

It's actually clever because that's something that people can be a little anxious about.

And everyone has to do with that.

Yeah, everyone has to do. You could get this letter, maybe you forgot the letter or missed it in the mail or something, and suddenly you're in trouble getting hollered at because you didn't do your jury duty.

So while they're on the defensive, they're not thinking that they're being scammed and they give up their social security number. That's a pretty good one.

An angry call.

What's the bottom line is, never ever ever give out any identifying information over the phone.

Never any piece of your social security number. Most of the social security number can be derived by your date and time of your birth.

I mean in location, the time and location of your birth.

Particularly when you are called.

You know, when somebody calls you, it doesn't matter what they say. It doesn't matter who they claim to be, what story they give you, you never give them any information over the phone. And of course now the same applies by email.

If you get an unsolicited email, it doesn't matter what it says. Or even how legitimate it works. You never respond, especially with any identifying information.

Know the legitimate organization is going to ask for your bank account number over a phone or email. It's just not going to happen.

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