PORTLAND, Maine — The spokeswoman for the Maine court system warned the public Wednesday about a new phone call fraud scheme involving “con artists” who claim to work for the court system.
The callers seek personal information that may allow identity theft, Mary Ann Lynch said Wednesday in an email. The caller pretends to be a court official and tells the person who answers the phone that he or she has outstanding parking or moving violation tickets.
“The callers are engaging in ‘Caller ID Spoofing’ to make it appear that the calls are originating from a courthouse, when, in fact, they are not,” she said. “Variations of this have been reported in a number of states, but
no one from the Maine judicial branch would ever call and ask for personal information such as a Social Security number, date of birth or credit card information over the telephone. Anyone receiving such a call should hang up, and they may want to contact their local police department.”
For more information on these kinds of scams, visit https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/spoofing-and-caller-id, according to Lynch.