Law enforcement agencies across the state, including the Maine State Police, are warning Mainers about a new scam sending false court notices appearing to be from the Cumberland County District Court, demanding immediate payment.
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Scammers are reportedly sending an image of the document to victims throughout the state via text messages.
The authentic-looking document informs victims that they have a traffic violation that has been declared delinquent and that they are required to immediately repay a toll along with fines, penalties, administrative fees, and court costs or appear at the Cumberland District Court for a hearing.
The document includes a QR code for victims to scan, where they are supposedly able to make their payments.
The Cumberland Sheriff’s Department warned that under no circumstances should anyone scan the code, which could compromise victims’ personal information.
It is not clear how many Mainers have been targeted by the scam, but law enforcement agencies across multiple counties have warned of the fake document.
Lettin’ it fly:
Scammers targeting Veterans, (going on for years), property owners, anything that appears in public record. “They” don’t have to sit in the courthouse going through records handwriting letters to their fellow scammers when the information is PUBLIC and DID GIT TELL!
Customer call centers hired from all around the world to handle billing, i.e. credit cards, mortgages (FOIA)digital records ect. You get the idea. They have the personal information to make it sound like Suzy next door. This happens local as well.
So now, Uncle Bob the Navy Vet whose eyesight isn’t quite what it should or whatever the ailment, asked his neighbor’s nephew’s kid’s girlfriend to send in the requested payment, information or whatever. If she’s a local scammer, she puts it in her pocket, KNOWING this is a scam. BUT Uncle Bob is happy and nontheless relieved that he has someone looking out for him. Everybody’s happy, right? No, it’s WRONG.
SO. When hiring folks to look after Uncle Bob….
Well, you get the drift. Hopefully NOT the grift.
OH! This sort of thing happens “inside and outside” as my IBEW Brothers out there say.
Are we completely sure these letters aren’t coming from Janet Mills ? She has already proven she will do anything, including extortion, to wrest what little money you may have left, away from you. If I get a notice like this I’ll give them all I have left……if they can find any….I sure can’t.
I just got one of these. Same exact image. They are being sent all over the country with the same fake judge’s name on the top left, they just change the state details for wherever they are sending them. Check the address of the district court… there’s a typo: “Nowbury Street”. You would hope people would be smart enough to realize no one official would text you a court document.
Anybody stupid enough to respond deserves to be fleeced