Ventura Superior Court warns residents of phone, email phishing scams

Jeremy Childs | Ventura

Phishing scams that seek to acquire personal information by impersonating the court system and local law enforcement agencies are targeting Ventura County residents.

The Ventura Superior Court issued a warning last week about the email and phone scams based on reports from local residents.

Email scams include those stating the individual has engaged in "illegal software use" and must appear in court or more general emails about unnamed victims filing court complaints against them. These emails tend to say they come from an attorney, court clerk or court secretary.

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These emails may also include hyperlinks impersonating the web addresses of prominent law firms or supposed court summons attached to the email to download. Opening these links or downloading these attachments may cause a virus on your computer.

As far as phone scams, recent examples include calls impersonating the Ventura County Sheriff's Office purporting the scam victim has failed to appear for jury duty and now must pay a fine or face arrest.

Robert Sherman, assistant court executive officer of the Ventura Superior Court, said a red flag may be the medium of communication used in these scams.

"We don't call people if they don't appear for jury services," Sherman said.

Instead, when people fail to appear for jury obligations, the court will send them a notice in the mail, which people can then respond to by calling the courthouse or visiting the Ventura Superior Court's jury services webpage.

Another instance of calls impersonating the sheriff's office asks the victim to provide payment via an online or app-based transaction to clear up an outstanding warrant caused by failing to appear for jury duty. Other phone scams state the victim has been sued over an old debt and must make a payment to resolve the matter.

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In general, if a person receives a call or email similar to the ones described, authorities advise not to respond or engage with the caller or email. They also suggest not opening any attachments to the email, as they may contain viruses or stealth programs that steal personal information.

If you fear you have been a victim of one of these scams, contact law enforcement as well as any financial institutions whose information you may have provided so they can help protect your account.

Local authorities are currently investigating the suspects conducting these scams. If you believe you have information about the individuals responsible for these scams, contact the Camarillo Police Department at 805-388-5100.

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Tips can also be left by calling Ventura County Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477. Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 for information that leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against individuals responsible for these crimes.