Scammers can fake a court or police number on your caller ID, then threaten arrest unless you pay now. A San Diego County warning explains how to spot it.
Scammers are making phone calls look like they come from a real court or law enforcement agency, then threatening arrest unless you pay right away. The San Diego County District Attorney's Office is warning that these calls are scams. The trick behind them is called spoofing.
Spoofing means faking the number that shows up on your caller ID. A scammer can make a call appear to come from a real government number, so the screen looks trustworthy. The caller may also know your name and mention a case number or a judge's name. Then comes the threat: you have a warrant, you missed a court date, you owe money, or charges are pending. Pay immediately or be arrested.
The scheme is built to create fear and urgency. The goal is to make you act before you have time to question what you are hearing. The District Attorney's office says these scams can happen to anyone, and that scammers count on panic to beat good judgment.
Other clues include misspellings, odd formatting, wrong logos and suspicious links in a message. Be careful if you are told to appear in court but get no full details on where, when or how. Also be careful if you are told you owe a judgment for a lawsuit you never heard about.
No one is exempt from getting these calls. But you can stop worrying about one thing. The Superior Court does its official correspondence by U.S. mail or, in some cases, by electronic service if a party has opted in. It does not call or text people to demand immediate payment of a fine. So a call or text like that is not how the court works, even if the number on your screen looks real.
The alert box above lists the steps. The main idea is simple: end the call, then check with the court yourself. Use a phone number or website you find on your own, never one the caller gave you. Court cases can also be checked through the court's official records. If you already paid or shared information, report it to law enforcement and your bank right away.
The material does not say how many people have been targeted or how much money has been lost. It does say criminals keep changing their tactics. The District Attorney's office takes reports of fraud, false advertising and unfair business practices on its consumer protection page at www.sandiegoda.com.
A court will not call or text to demand instant payment, so hang up and look up the court's number yourself.
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