State officials warn of another phone scam targeting South Dakotans. This time it involves the court system. The Unified Judicial System and the Attorney General’s office say criminals are trying to get personal information and banking details from people by lying about legal consequences.
"People that are individuals making phone calls that are representing themselves as clerks of court for certain county courts and indicating that the person owes a court debt and, if they don’t make immediate payment, there’ll be legal action taken against them," legal counsel for the UJS, Greg Sattizahn, says.
Sattizahn says that’s not how the courts operate.
"The clerk of court would never contact an individual asking for personal information like social security numbers, addresses, things like that, or credit card information," he says.
Sattizahn says people should not give the caller any personal or financial information. He encourages people who receive the calls to write down details of the conversation, such as the court the caller claims to represent or the phrases they use, and report the scam to the state.
If you need more information or are a victim of a scam, you can also contact your local court to verify an issue. You can also contact the state agency below.
South Dakota Consumer Protection Division
1-800-300-1986
consumerhelp@state.sd.us