SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office is warning people about fake court summons being used to scam people out of money.
SCSO said it recently received word of these fake summons from a victim who lost $4,000 to scammers. The victim was someone who has never been in trouble or had any dealings with law enforcement in the past.
In the first quarter of 2025, the Federal Trade Commission says victims of all ages lost over $38 million to scammers, with government imposter scams being the largest reported type of scam.
SCSO says law enforcement, courts and government offices will never call, email, text or contact you in another way and demand immediate payment for anything while threatening you with arrest or other consequences.
If something seems suspicious, call the law enforcement agency, court or government office directly to verify if it is a real communication or a scam.
If the person contacting you demands immediate payment and denies you the opportunity to verify the potential problem, it is a scam.
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