Scammers are taking advantage of people’s fear of receiving warnings from the court to carry out fraud schemes. The Southern California police issued a warning on Thursday, stating that counterfeit court notices are circulating in the community, and cautioning the public not to fall for them.
According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD), these fraudulent notices appear to be from the California Superior Court, often containing court information, case numbers, and QR codes, which can be highly misleading. However, the notices threaten recipients to make immediate payments through QR codes or other unofficial means. The authorities emphasized, “This is a scam!”
Based on a fake court notice publicly disclosed by the police, scammers craft the content meticulously, with a subject line like “Default Notice,” claiming that the recipient faces consequences such as driver’s license revocation, debt collection, or court judgments for alleged traffic violations if they fail to address a supposed traffic infraction promptly.
The fake notices are designed to instill panic with phrases like “This is a final and urgent warning, and the case is now under formal enforcement proceedings,” while also including the logo of the California Superior Court, the judge’s name, case number, legal regulations, court hearing dates, and locations to enhance the deception.
However, the ultimate goal of these fake notices is to demand immediate full payment of all purported “outstanding fines, unpaid tolls, civil penalties, and litigation costs,” warning of “further legal and administrative consequences” if not complied with.
Authorities pointed out that any demands for immediate payments and tactics to create fear could signify fraudulent activities. If you receive such notices, do not scan the QR codes or click any links, refrain from making payments or providing personal information, verify directly with the court using official contact information, and report the incident to local law enforcement.
Furthermore, the police stressed that no law enforcement agency, including the California Superior Court and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, would engage in the following actions:
1) They would not ask the public to make immediate payments by scanning QR codes, purchasing gift cards, or using cryptocurrencies.
2) They would not threaten recipients with arrests, license revocations, or legal actions through phone calls, text messages, or unsolicited mailings demanding immediate payments.
3) They would not create panic to force recipients to take immediate action, preventing them from verifying the authenticity of the situation through official channels.