Iowa Judicial Branch Warns of Multiple Scams

Scammers, falsely claiming to be from law enforcement or the Iowa Judicial Branch, are becoming more prevalent, more sophisticated, and more aggressive. The scammers use email, phone calls, and official looking documents sent through the U.S. mail to threaten people with legal action for unpaid fines, missed jury service, and arrest warrants.

The Iowa Judicial Branch does not issue official court communications by text or telephone calls or ask the recipient to send money, request a social security number, direct the recipient to call a certain phone number, purchase a prepaid money card, or advise the recipient to link to a website.

Scammers also send text messages that appear to come from the Iowa Judicial Branch and use a sitting judge's name. The messages claim the recipient missed a court date and now owes money or has a warrant issued for their arrest or both.

Law enforcement officers do not collect fines and fees. Court fines and fees can only be paid to the clerk of court office and only by mail or by walk in, on the secure Iowa Judicial Branch ePayment system, or by calling 515-348-4788 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

In the most recent scam, an Iowa resident received a phone call telling him he failed to appear for jury service, which coincidentally was true, and that the caller would immediately text him documents regarding this failure to appear. The documents directed the victim to post the cash bond immediately by converting his cash to bitcoin and then sending it to the scammer to avoid further consequences.

In another scam, the perpetrators of the scam call the victim and falsely claim to be from the local sheriff or police department wanting to verify the victim's home address. The caller then informs the victim that there is a warrant for his or her arrest for failure to appear for jury service. The caller gives specific amounts owed to the courts, in one case a $494 fine, $494 in contempt of court charges, and $189 warrant processing fee.

The caller instructs the victim to get a money order at the nearest bank or convenience store and call a local phone number for further instructions. The victim is told to complete this before 4:30 p.m. on the day of the call so that he or she can meet someone at the local county courthouse to handle the matter without being arrested.

A variation of the scam involves notices sent to the victim stating that there is a warrant for his or her arrest because the victim did not show up for jury duty. The notice includes a telephone number to call. According to reports, the person who answers the phone falsely claims to be with a local law enforcement agency and tells the victims that he or she can pay a fine to avoid arrest.　

If you receive calls or notices like these, DO NOT follow the instructions given. Please call your county's jury manager to have any jury duty questions answered, your clerk of court for a fine or fee question, or contact your local law enforcement agency to report the receipt of these types of calls. You can find the jury manager and clerk of court contact information listed by county on the Iowa Judicial Branch website here.

Residents can also verify unpaid traffic tickets or fines by calling 515-348-4788 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Or you can find information on your outstanding fines and fees using the Iowa Courts Online docket here.

• Use the Trial Court Case Search
• Input your full name into the search fields
• When you find one of your cases, click the blue case number on the left
• Once on the Trial Court Case Details page, select the [Financial] link from the horizontal menu at the top of the page
• You can now pay multiple fees on multiple cases with a single payment using the shopping cart feature on Iowa Courts Online

You can also report any scams or suspicious communications to the Federal Trade Commission (link to https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/?orgcode=IACOURTS). For Government Impostor reports, use the link, click "Report Now," check "An impersonator," and then "Government authority or agency" options to proceed.

Always be diligent and aware that there are individuals who will represent themselves under false pretenses for personal gain.