Sheriff’s Office and 19th Judicial Circuit warn of scam

Scammers target court participants, claim to be attorney, contractor or court employee

WAUKEGAN – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and 19th Judicial Circuit are alerting virtual court attendees of a new scam.

The targets are court participants who are present virtually on Zoom for court, and the scams are becoming more prevalent across the region. Scammers are sending messages to court attendees through the chat feature claiming to be an attorney, a court contractor or even a court employee.

When pretending to be an attorney, the scammer will offer to represent the court attendee. The scammer will have the victim pay the “attorney” using an online method of payment. Note that attorneys are prohibited from soliciting business in a courtroom, including virtual courtrooms. This is a scam.

When claiming to be a court contractor or court employee, the scammer will ask the court attendee for personal information. This could include birthdates, phone numbers, addresses and Social Security numbers. Scammers will inform the attendee they are to submit payment to the court and advise the victim to use online methods of payment.

Virtual court attendees should be aware that they will never be asked to pay fines, fees or share personal information via Zoom. If you are an attendee and receive messages in the Zoom chat feature that seem suspicious, alert the court immediately.

Shaw Local News Network

Shaw Local News Network

Shaw Local News Network provides local news throughout northern Illinois