Indiana Southern District warns of scam callers posing as court staff

Hoosiers with cases pending before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana are being advised to steer clear of scam callers posing as court employees and requesting personal information.

The Southern District Court said Tuesday that litigants in the Southern District who believe they have been the victim of such scams are encouraged to report the incident to the Clerk’s Office at 317-229-3700, and online to the Federal Trade Commission.

“In no instance will a court official or other government employee contact someone and demand personal information or payment by phone or email,” the district court said in a Tuesday news release. The scammers have been asking victims for Social Security numbers.

The Southern District also advised:

• A court will never ask for a Social Security number, credit/debit card number, wire transfers or bank routing numbers over the phone for any purpose.
• A prospective juror who disregards a summons will be contacted by the Clerk’s Office by mail and may, in certain circumstances, be ordered to appear before a judge.
• A fine will never be imposed until after an individual has appeared in court and been given the opportunity to explain a failure to appear.
• Do not divulge personal information or financial information to unknown callers.
• You can remain anonymous when you report.
• You can authenticate a call by contacting the Clerk’s Office to verify that the scam call did not come from the court.