One would think that the last place you’d expect to be scammed for money would be in court. One would think wrong.
According to a joint press release, the Kane County Sheriff’s Office and Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office have received multiple reports of a scam involving the use of of Zoom court calls to prey on victims.
Here’s how it works.
Av person claiming to be a lawyer or public official working for Kane County judges sends messages to people through the Zoom court call chat feature and asks them to make a telephone call. While on the call, the offender asks the caller to provide photocopies of their driver’s license, bank statements and paystubs. This person then informs the caller that a payment through banking applications such as Cash App, Zelle Pay, Apple Pay and/or gift cards will help them to resolve their case.
The public should be aware that this person is conducting a scam and is not an employee of Kane County or any judges.
Please keep these tips in mind to protect yourself from becoming a victim of identity theft or fraud:
- Always verify who you are talking to. Scammers often pretend to represent an organization you know.
- Scammers instruct you to pay in a specific way.
- Scammers rush and demand immediate payment.
This case remains under investigation.
Anyone with information about the identity of this individual should call the Kane County Sheriff’s Office at (630) 444-1103.
