Humboldt Superior Court warns public about phone scam regarding court fines

Humboldt County Superior Court has recently received several calls from the public notifying us that they have received calls from persons identifying themselves as representatives from court and demanding payment for a fine, or “’mediation over the phone by the end of the day to avoid a much larger claim amount in court.

 One person was quoted a fine amount of $690, and was told that if it wasn’t paid by the end of the day it would result in a $2,000 claim in court.

Another party who contacted the Court stated that the caller also referenced her Social Security number and other personal information.

 Please be advised that Court staff mails all correspondence to the public, and the correspondence would include case information, upcoming court dates, including fine information, if applicable, and contact information for the Court.

Court staff does not call parties and request payments by phone. The Clerk’s Office phone number is (707) 445-7256 and is open from 9:00am – 2:00pm.

If you have any questions or concerns related to your case, please contact them during business hours.

 Email and phone scams are widespread throughout the United States, several of which falsely claim that the intended victims have court cases or other legal issues pending, and must pay money, and/or provide personal information in order to avoid additional fines/fees.

Anyone who receives a phone call or email from someone demanding payment for a court fine or warrant should report it immediately to your local law enforcement agency.

 Please see helpful information on the Federal Trade Commission's website related to phone and email scams at: consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0076-phone-scams.

If the caller also references your Social Security number, please refer to the Social Security's Identity Theft publication at: ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10064.pdfor contact your local Social Security office and report it.