Public Notice: Beware of Telephone Scams
There have been numerous telephone scams over the past year involving individuals identifying themselves as representatives of the Superior Court or other public agencies. In these scams, citizens are contacted by phone by someone claiming to be with the court, sheriff, or another affiliated public agency. The caller may claim the person is late in paying a court fine, has an outstanding warrant, failed to report for jury duty, or has another issue related to the court system.
Victims are told that if they do not immediately pay the caller (via credit card, Apple iTunes cards, bank routing number, or other payment method), additional penalties will be added or they will be arrested. Calls sometimes appear to come from various 800 numbers that mimic a public agency’s phone system to create the impression of credibility.
Please note that these calls are fraudulent and have no connection to the Superior Court. Court personnel will never request personal information over the phone, such as Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, or bank routing numbers.
If you receive a phone call from someone making these claims and requesting personal or financial information, hang up immediately and report the situation to your local law enforcement agency.
Additional information regarding telephone and email fraud is available on the FBI’s website at https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes.
You may also file a report with the Federal Trade Commission at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/.