A little friendly advice... Dont let someone pressure you into being a victim of telephone and internet scams! Today, I read about a Virginia woman who received a telephone call and was told she owed a fine for not serving jury duty on a grand jury. The only way to pay the fine was by mailing in a prepaid debit card. A link to the article is posted below, or you can go to timesdispatch/chesterfield-police-warn-of-fraud/article_77223a08-63ad-11e4-8690-001a4bcf6878.html. While it is true that people who do not appear for jury duty can be fined, the absent juror will never be told about it by telephone call from a Sheriffs office. Courts do not have bill collectors make calls on their behalf and they do not accept payment by taking hold of a prepaid debit card. They have much nastier options at their disposal, like suspending your drivers license and garnishing your tax refund. I get calls and online inquiries from people who are being victimized by this type of scam every day. This time, the caller posed as a sheriff employee, but usually they claim to be collections agent for a company you may or may not have done business with. The victim is scared because theyve been told there will be or there already is a court case pending against them, but Ive yet to see one where the crook can actually use the proper court terms for describing any court. In fact, very few are able to correctly name the location of the court where the case is supposedly pending! I cant tell you how frustrating it is when a panicked caller wants me to investigate the status of their court case in a town that does not have a courthouse, but my caller is often convinced the scam is true and therefore I must not know what I am talking about even though Im the one who regularly goes to court all over Northern Virginia. My heart goes out to these victims but there really isnt anything a criminal defense attorney can do for people in this situation other than reassure them the story theyve been told cant possibly be accurate and is probably completely untrue, and it is very unlikely the victim will be arrested for the felony fraud and theft charges theyve been told about. If you get this type of call, there are a few things you should do: (1) you should always contact the business or court directly and let them refer you to their real collections department. Youll find the number is different, the staff is nicer, and payment is accepted in a number of methods, but not by mailing in a prepaid debit card. (2) Check your credit report and notify a credit reporting agency such as TransUnion or Experian. The con artists often have your social security number and information about legitimate unpaid debts and use it to convince their victims theyre legitimate debt collectors. Who knows what else theyll do with it? (3) Report it to your local police using the non-emergency number. If the real bad guy uses your identity to commit a crime, retain an experienced lawyer to help you prove that you are not the person who actually did it. Dont assume actual innocence will lead to dismissal of the charge. Police officers, prosecutors, and judges hear false claims of actual innocence multiple times every day. Going to court without a lawyer and without knowing how to defend yourself may increase the likelihood of being wrongfully convicted.
Posted on: Tue, 04 Nov 2014 17:17:42 +0000
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