The FBI today is providing a warnig to the public against an ongoing scheme involving jury service.  The public needs to be aware that individuals identifying themselves as U.S. court employees have been telephonically contacting citizens and advising them that they have been selected for jury duty.  These individuals ask to verify names and Social Security numbers, then ask for credit card numbers.  If the request is refused, citizens are then threatened with fines.

The judicial system does not contact people telephonically and ask for personal information such as your Social Security number, date of birth or credit card numbers.  If you receive one of these phone calls, do not provide any personal or confidential information to these individuals.  This is an attempt to steal or to use your identity by obtaining your name, Social Security number and potentially to apply for credit or credit cards or other loans in your name.  It is an attempt to defraud you.

If you have already been contacted and have already given out your personal information, please monitor your account statements and credit reports, and contact your local FBI office.  Local FBI field office telephone numbers can be found in the front of your local telephone directory or on www.fbi.gov. For further information, please review the warnings posted on the U.S. Courts website at www.uscourts.gov, "Newsroom" news article "WARNING: Bogus Phone Calls on Jury Service May lead to Fraud," August 19, 2005.

The Minocqua Police Department has taken several complaints concerning companies which contact you via telephone. These companies will attempt to obtain your checking account or savings account number by stating they will monitor those accounts for your security.

They will charge a fee, around $400.00, for this service. The money is withdrawn from your account electronically thus you do not see the withdrawal until you review your statements. One of the companies is called Generation Benefits Group and is located in Texas.

Contact from local citizens indicates that the company may have misled them into believing that their account has already been compromised. The Minocqua Police has forwarded these complaints to the Wisconsin State Attorney Generals Office.

The Minocqua Police Department recommends that you contact the bank you deal with directly. You should never give any personal information over the phone concerning your bank accounts.

The Minocqua Police has also received several calls concerning TDD relay. TDD relay is the service used by the hearing impaired. Several businesses have been contacted concerning purchases this way and using Wisconsin Relay Services. Wisconsin Relay is a legitimate operation and has no connection to the fraud attempt.

The suspects will use this service in an attempt to purchase items by using a stolen credit card and/or fake money order sent to the businesses. Contact may later occur by e-mail as a follow up to the purchases. Businesses should be aware of this and should contact the Minocqua Police Department if confronted with this scam. Businesses should also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at www.econsumer.gov

On Saturday February 11, 2006, three subjects were questioned at the Mohican North Star Casino by the Shawano County Sheriffs Department concerning 13 counterfeit $100 dollar bills.  The three subjects claimed they were paid in cash for work done by them and all three are from the Wausau area.  The Shawano County Sheriffs Department is investigating this matter.  The serial numbers on the bills are as follows:

AB72514439L; AF63953805A; AK23613610B; DF43496901A; AB01423549K; AB90844680K.

On Thursday February 9, 2006 the Lincoln County Sheriff's Department received a fraud complaint.  The complaint went as follows:

The complainant was sent a cashiers check of $2,800.00 dollars for winning in a lottery through Canada.  The letter was from Ameri International Prize Pool Lottery.  It had a Toronto Ontario address.  It was drawn on a Texas Bank called Woodhaven National Bank at 6700 Bridge Street in Fortworth, TX 76112.

The complainant received the cashiers check and it was supposed to be enough to pay for insurance and processing claims.  The complainant called the bank in Texas and they stated that the check was fraudulant and there are no funds available if someone cashes this cashier's check at their bank and it then goes to Texas for payment.  They also told the complainant that they were the 15th person from Wisconsin to call the bank that day.  The complainant was advised to contact the Lincoln County Sheriff Department and the Better Business Bureau.

A Lincoln County Sheriff called the Woodhaven Bank in Texas on February 9 and spoke with an employee in the fraud department.  The employee stated this is the standard scam where people get the letter telling them they won the Canadian Lottery.  The check is enclosed to help them with the processing fees.  All the person has to do is cash the check, wire them the money back and then the "company" will get them their $70,000 dollars in lotto winnings.  The employee said they get tons of calls every week from Wisconsin and Florida which are the prime targets; ten calls that day alone.  They have been in contact with the FBI and Secret Service.