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 The phone rings and the person on the other end claims to be a jury coordinator. He or she is calling to tell you this: "There's a warrant out for your arrest because you've failed to appear for jury duty."
"But I didn't get anything in the mail," you say.
"Give me your social security number and date of birth so I can verify your information and cancel the arrest warrant," the caller says.
What should you do?
"Never give out any personal information over the phone unless you initiate the phone call and you know who you're talking to," said Katie Carrol, director of media relations for the Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado.
"I would ask for the caller's name, phone number and ID number, and then I'd call the police," Carrol said.
The scam is particularly scary because it's under the guise of an authority figure. It's like a police officer calling, making you more likely to feel like you'd better comply, she said.
Although the jury duty scam has been around for years, it may be making a comeback. In some versions of the scam, the caller even asks for a credit card number.
When the jury duty scam appeared last year, Fourth Judicial District Jury Commissioner Dennis McKinney said the county does not call potential jurors because it usually doesn't have their phone numbers, according to a Feb. 7, 2009, article in "The Gazette."
If court staff were to make such a call, they would never ask for such personal information, McKinney said.
Where's the beef?
A guy knocks on the door and says he's got a great bargain. His refrigerated truck loaded with meat has broken down and he needs to sell it quick before it spoils.
It's like buying meat from the trunk of someone's car, Carrol said.
"You have no idea where it's been or where it came from, whether it's clean or dirty, or whether it's safe to eat. It can be a very dissatisfying and possibly harmful experience."
The BBB in Denver has received complaints about door-to-door meat sellers. A major complaint: receiving a lot less meat for the amount paid.
Based on a report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the buyer also is not receiving the cuts or quality the salesperson promised.
On average, gullible buyers are spending more than $185 on meat sold door-to-door, Carrol said.
Before agreeing to buy meat from a door-to-door salesperson, Carrol and the U.S.D.A. recommend these precautions:- Ask for written material about the company and its products, and check out the company at the BBB's Web site, www.bbb.org.
- Ask for the seller's license number. In Colorado, door-to-door salespeople must have a license to sell any food product.
- Inspection is mandatory, so check the packaging for the number of the plant where the item was inspected.
- Know about U.S.D.A grades, even though they are voluntary. The top grades of beef are prime, choice and select; anything else is a low grade and suitable for grinding or use in processed meats. The top grades of lamb and veal are prime, choice and good. The top grade for poultry is A. The U.S.D.A does not grade pork.
- Check the packaging. If a salesperson claims a particular grade, it must appear on the carcass, package or label.
- Get the company and the salesperson's contact information.
- Don't pay cash. A check can be canceled, and a credit card transaction can be disputed.
The Federal Trade Commission "Cooling-Off Rule" allows three days to cancel purchases over $25 made at home or at a location that's not the seller's local address or permanent place of business (www.usda.gov).
The seller must tell buyers of their cancellation rights at the time of the sale and provide two copies of a cancellation form and a receipt dated at the time of the sale.
Buyers who feel they've been cheated should report the incident to Nick Brechun, the home food service plan administrator for the Colorado Department of Agriculture at 303-867-9232, Carrol said.
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