Okay, I'll just admit it -- I'm a citizenship geek. Unlike more than half of my fellow Americans, I really, really get into the trappings of participatory democracy. I don't just love to vote; I actually save my "I Voted" stickers and keep pictures of my wife and me grinning broadly after casting our ballots. The last time around, we even took our daughter with us, which almost knocked my family over the Frank Capra/Mr. Smith Goes to Washington edge.

Despite my best efforts, I've never been given jury duty. Personally, I blame this on the fact that my last home was in a very rural area, where my lack of "kin" automatically discounted me from taking part in the judicial system. Seriously, I knew honest-to-goodness Hatfields and McCoys and I have a feeling that their lawyers were gaming the jury selection process.

At any rate, I'm hoping that New York City will be able to make better use of my Solomon-like decision-making skills and insane sense of patriotism. With that in mind, I was particularly disgusted by a recent jury duty scam that criminals were using to commit identity theft. Basically, the thief, claiming to represent the local court, calls the victim and claims that he or she has failed to show up for jury duty. After threatening arrest, the thief asks the victim for his or her social security number, birth date, and other key materials. Using this information, the thief then assumes the victims identity.

The FBI has already issued a warning about this scam, noting that the judicial system does not ask for confidential information over the phone. Unfortunately, there really isn't very much that you can do about this scam, apart from not falling for it. In the meantime, though, keep your eye out for that jury duty notice!

Bruce Watson is a freelance writer, blogger, and all-around cheapskate. While he's not a big fan of Saudi-style justice, he thinks jury scammers should probably have their ears cut off.

As more and more people become desperate to find some way to keep their homes, they turn to "foreclosure rescue" experts and other scam artists, when traditional lending sources dry up. USA Today reports that Federal mortgage fraud convictions more than doubled in 2007 and they expect the numbers to go even higher in 2008. The FBI opened 1,210 mortgage fraud cases in 2007, which are nearly triple the number of new cases in 2003, according to USA Today. Convictions, which totaled 123 in 2006, were up to 260 in 2007.

The FBI created 34 mortgage fraud task forces and working groups.These groups include investigators from HUD, Treasury and Veterans Affairs. FBI Financial Crimes Section Chief Sharon Ormsby told USA Today that "low interest rates, rising home values and low lending standards "created the perfect storm of lending fraud." The FBI is finding deceptive pricing and falsified documents by mortgage brokers, lenders, appraisers, real estate firms and others.

Scammers focus on people desperate to keep their homes when their loan rates reset or a balloon payment is due. They are also starting to prey on homeowners 62 and older who seek reverse mortgages. One common scam involves a "foreclosure rescue" expert convincing home owners in trouble to sign over their deed to a third party who can qualify for a second mortgage. The scam artist then pockets the cash and defaults on the loan. The home owner then faces foreclosure. In one case cited by USA Today, six people were charged by a New York grand jury with allegedly stealing more than 80 homes this way. If anyone asks you to sign over your deed, just don't do it!