In the past, several ways to scam people got discovered and shut down. Such methods included phone calls to let you know about a blocked credit card, extortion calls on a kidnapped family member, fake government emails, among others.
This time, scammers in Washington are targeting Latino-sounding surnames and pretending to call on behalf of the State Supreme Court. The Washington State Attorney General’s Office released a statement to warn people about the scam.
“The State Supreme Court has received dozens of reports from Washingtonians of scammers using fake caller ID information to make a call appear to come from the Supreme Court clerk’s office. The caller typically states they are from the courts or law enforcement and threatens arrest if recipients do not send money.”
They recommend to immediately hang up the call the moment you notice something is off. Do not give in to high-pressure tactics. They will try to persuade, threaten, bully or frighten you to give them money.
Do not fall for any call from the Supreme Court or any other Washington law enforcement agency that is asking for money. Those organizations do not call to ask for money or arrest anybody.
Help spread the word about the scam by sharing this information with friends and family. Fortunately, social media is an excellent way to spread the word, but remember to warn those who might not be online that much, like older adults.
We call all the Latino community to take care and to be aware of the current situation with the scammers, even if you’re not in Washington. They could expand to other states.
If you or a member of your family gets one of these calls, file a complaint on the ATG website.
This article was inspired by The Stranger // Scammers Are Targeting People with Latinx-Sounding Names and Pretending to Be the State Supreme Court