Kenosha County Clerk of Courts Rebecca Matoska-Mentink is warning of a telephone scam that is again making the rounds locally.
Matoska-Mentink said her office has received several contacts recently from people reporting they were called and told they had failed to report for jury service, that there is a warrant out for them, and that they must immediately pay a fine.
These calls are not legitimate and should be ignored, Matoska-Mentink said.
“Absent a court hearing and a finding of contempt by a Judge, the Circuit Court could never demand immediate payment of a fine regarding jury duty,” Matoska-Mentink said. “In Wisconsin, official jury summonses, as well as failure-to-appear notices, are delivered to homes by first-class mail. Court officials and law enforcement officers do not make phone calls to threaten arrest or fines.”
These scam calls are often made in the evening, after court offices are closed for the day, which should be an immediate red flag, Matoska-Mentink said. The clerk also noted that caller ID can be manipulated to appear as a local number or business, making these calls appear legitimate.
“If you receive a call like this and have any question about its legitimacy, hang up and call our office at 262-653-2664,” Matoska-Mentink said.
Matoska-Mentink said those who are called to jury service first receive a questionnaire via U.S. mail, which is then followed by a mailed summons. If email addresses or cell numbers are provided in answering the questionnaire, potential jurors could receive text reminders and email notifications when the Summons date is near. Failure to comply with a service notification may result in a summons for a hearing in front of a judge, not a phone call, Matoska-Mentink said.
For more information about the Clerk of Courts Office and the Kenosha County Circuit Court system, visit https://www.kenoshacounty.org/118/Clerk-of-Courts.
8 Responses
we need more punishment for these scammers
Not so many years ago I received a “scam” call from a local number I recognized as a friend down the street.
It’s amazing this phone number technology is so easily used by tech savvy criminals.
If there is technology to use someone else’s phone number there must be technology to reverse it back to find these people.
Maybe in another lifetime.
when the U.S. broke AT&T’s monopoly it opened it up to spoofing.
So the law requiring all carriers to connect calls, combined with the exception to stir/shaken given to small carriers is what’s created a loop hole.
Monopoly laws force AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon to connect these calls from small carriers even if they know the caller id is spoofed.
The FCC hasn’t just given them permission to block those calls, they have required it
They need the United Healthcare CEO treatment….it would stop then.
I would know it’s a scam, by the simple fact that
there’s no way for them to find my number.
Thank you though, for sharing this.
People are stupid and ignorant of the law, scam this
I got this call the other day at 5pm. She knew my social and address. The caller ID said Kenosha Courthouse. She told me I’d be arrested that night if I didn’t arrange payment immediately. I laughed and she got very aggressive and angry and said “you won’t be laughing tonight when you are escorted away from your home in handcuffs in front of your kids.” I hung up. She then called my brother and told him I’m in a lot of trouble and have a warrant. When she called him it said Kenosha Police. Crazy how they get so much info on people. Enough to call my brother too.