Consumer columnist and West Hartford resident Harlan Levy has more than 20 years of experience writing stories about everyday experiences that anyone could encounter.

By Harlan Levy

My wife received a jury duty notice last month, which she is obliged to join, despite interrupting her busy life and lots of babysitting duties. In fact she postponed it until this final notice, scheduling for late September. But that’s the price of U.S. citizenship … but not the price of a jury duty scam currently making the rounds.

Last week the state Department of Consumer Protection issued a warning concerning a law enforcement imposter scam making the rounds these pre-tax filing days.

The scam alerts recipients about missing jury duty and demands action intended to steal their money and personal information.

“Scammers will use phone calls and email messages to notify the recipient that they failed to comply with jury duty, demanding payment in order to avoid fees, court appointments, or even jail time,” DCP Commissioner Bryan Cafferelli said. “Scammers are taking advantage of the fear many people have that they will face serious consequences if they miss jury duty.”

“Jury duty scams are very common across the country,” said Connecticut Judicial Branch Jury Administrator Esther Harris.

Always be skeptical of unsolicited calls or messages, hang up or report the sender, and if you are unsure, contact the organization directly, DCP warns us.

In 2023, consumers lost $171 million to government imposter scams, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). In 2024, the reported loss increased to $789 million.

Signs of a scam include:

• Unsolicited calls or emails demanding immediate action, threatening legal or financial action.
• Caller demands payment over the phone through payment methods like gift cards, cryptocurrency, a wire transfer service, or peer-to-peer apps such as Venmo or PayPal.
• Asks for sensitive information over the phone such as birth date, Social Security number, etc.

Courts do not communicate with jurors via phone calls, email or text messages. Jury summonses and additional information are communicated through postal mail.

If you receive a message from a court or government agency and are unsure if it is real, search the organization on their official website and contact them directly.

If you have received a jury duty scam, report the details to the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/

Problems you can’t resolve

As I’ve posted at the end of all my columns, if readers have a problem with a company or other party that they can’t get resolved, I may be able to help by contacting the entity’s media relations department to complain. I’ve done this for 20 years with amazing success.

Here’s the latest request from reader W.F.:

“I’ve been a customer of internet provider Gonetspeed for many years with no issues, and my monthly rate has been $49.99 all along. In January, with no advance notice, I was billed $59.99. When I called customer service, they told me it was a “system glitch” that impacted about 8,000 of their customers. I asked why there had been no communication to those impacted; the customer service representative had no answer.

“Since then I’ve had to call twice more because they still have not corrected the monthly amount nor refunded my overpayment. They keep saying I’ll see it on the next bill.

“Since there has been no communication from Gonetspeed, I strongly suspect that this was a “stealth” increase: customers who did not notice or call Gonetspeed will just keep paying the higher amount. I don’t know which regulatory agency oversees internet providers, but I think this is worthy of investigation. 

“What do you suggest? Thank you,

“W.F.”

My response to W.F.:

“I called Gonetspeed and asked to speak to its media contact, but, unfortunately for me, there is none, the rep said. I then gave the rep your account number, but he was unwilling to look at it and unwilling to discuss the matter with a third party. Regardless, I explained your unresolved dispute and asked him to pass it on to his superiors.

“Instead he said that you should call again. ‘My company is willing to fix it. We can get it fixed. We’re not going to maliciously change someone’s bill. We can do it with a call, and we can fix it on the phone.’

“Sorry that that’s all I could do. But please call and report back to me.”

To other readers: I’ve gotten so many readers’ complaints fixed … from Cox Cable’s unfair billing, to broken items, to faulty appliances, to car dealership problems, to items ordered but not received, incorrect items delivered, etc., that I’m ready, willing, and able to help you with any problems you can’t resolve.

NOTE: In my many successful efforts to help consumers with phone and cable problems the key is contacting the media contact. That person finds out that a reporter will write about the specific problem, and my thousands of readers will find out all about it, injuring the company’s reputation. That unsavory result always makes for a quick resolution.

In spite of my roadblock with Gonetspeed, give me a try.

NOTE: If you have a consumer problem, contact me at [email protected] (“Consumer” in subject line), and, with the power of the press, maybe I can help.

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