Phone scammers use social security numbers and other sensitive information

Humboldt County, Ca., (KIEM)- The Humboldt County Superior Court is warning the public about a phone scam, in which callers have been referencing social security numbers and other personal and private information. According to a statement released Thursday morning, the scammer claims to be a court employee and is looking at how to get your social security card number for fraud purposes. Payment is demanded by the caller, ’by the end of the day to avoid a much larger claim amount in court.’

The first thing the Superior Court is making clear is that all correspondence they’ll send regarding fines will be sent in the mail. Payment, social security numbers and other private information will NOT be requested by the court over the phone. Social security numbers are very important in regards to someone’s citizenship and passing that number out could have detrimental impacts on that person’s livelihood.

If you are concerned about a call you may have received, “The Clerk’s Office phone number is: (707) 445-7256 and is open to the public from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm. If you have any questions or concerns related to your case, please contact them during business hours.”

The Superior Court scam alert goes on to say, “If the caller also references your Social Security number, please refer to the Social Security’s Identity Theft publication at ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10064.pdf or contact your local Social Security office and report it.”

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