If someone claiming to be from the Union County Clerk of Court’s Office calls and starts asking you for Social Security and credit card numbers don’t give it to them, they’re scam artists attempting to steal your identity.

Clerk of Court Freddie Gault said he has received information from the State Court Administration about the scam which has been perpetrated in Texas, Arizona, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington.

While there are no reports of the scam being perpetrated in Union County or anywhere else in South Carolina — yet — Gault said he and his fellow clerks of court around the state are trying to get the word out to the public to keep anyone from falling victim to it.

“What they’ll do is call you up and say you were selected for jury duty but failed to show up,” Gault said. “They’ll say they’re trying to confirm your identity and will ask you, first, for your name. Then they’ll ask your for your Social Security number as further proof of identity. Then they’ll ask you for a credit card number for additional proof. Once you do that they’ll hang up because they’ve gotten your identity.”

Gault said his office does not contact people by phone about jury duty but by mail. If a person does not show up for jury duty, Gault said a sheriff’s deputy will be sent to their home to tell them that they need to go to the court immediately. If a person cannot be located at that time, Gault said the judge could issue a bench warrant for the person’s arrest.

“We never do any of this over the phone,” Gault said. It is always in person or by mail.”

Gault added that if someone has a question about jury duty they can call his office. He reiterated that his office will never contact them by phone about jury duty.