Ventura Superior Court warns public of email and phone scams

Ventura Superior Court warns the public of phone and email scams regarding court fines and notices to appear in court.

Officials say they became aware of the scam when they began receiving reports from residents claiming they had gotten a phishing email from the “Clerk of the Court of the Ventura Superior County,” as well as other law enforcement agencies, regarding court fines and notice to appear in court.

A phishing scam is a fraudulent practice of trying to get personal information from another person through deceptive ways. Anyone that receives a scam email should delete the email immediately. Do not open any attachments because they may contain computer viruses or stealth programs to steal personal information.

Investigators say the scam phone calls originate from a local number in the 805 area code.

Based on complaints received by courts in California and other courts throughout the United States, there are six different kinds of scams currently going on. Examples of these scams include, but are not limited to:

One telephone scam involved a caller impersonating a representative of the Sheriff’s Department, who says that the intended victim has failed to appear for jury duty, and now must pay a fine to clear the case or be arrested. An email scam falsely stated that the intended victim has engaged in “illegal software use” and must appear in court. Another email scam falsely said that the intended victims have filed a court complaint or is the subject of court complaints. Many of these emails say they come from the “court secretary,” “court clerk,” “attorney” or others. Another telephone scam falsely said that the intended victim has been sued over old debt and must make a payment to settle the matter. In some instances, these emails have impersonated the web addresses of well-known law firms and may contain an attachment, supposedly a court notice or summons, or may contain a link to the website. Some reports say that the attachment or link may download a virus onto the user’s computer or device. Several Ventura County residents have received phone calls from a person claiming to be a Ventura County Sheriff’s Department employee who demands payment via a Green Dot transaction to clear up an outstanding warrant. Callers are being told they did not show up for required jury duty and they have to pay a fine to clear up a warrant that has been issued. These calls are fraudulent and have no connection to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.

Anyone with information about the person or group responsible for this scam or who receives a phone call from someone demanding payment for an outstanding warrant should report the call the Camarillo Police Department at 805-388-5100. The caller may remain anonymous.

Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for these scam crimes.