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Kentucky Today

By Tom Latek

The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) launched its scam alert webpage on Monday, with the goal of helping protect Kentuckians from payment scams involving the legal system, including those involving fake arrest warrants and missed jury service.

The webpage went live to coincide with the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Identity Theft Awareness Week.

The new webpage aims to help the public stay informed of common fraud schemes, offers tools to help citizens protect themselves and provides an outlet for reporting fraud and getting further assistance. Among the resources on the webpage are a video about tactics criminals use to scam people to get money and personal information, a link to jury service information by county, a fraud fact and tip sheet, and contact information for reporting scams.

According to the FTC, identity theft can happen to anyone and can take many forms. Someone could open a credit card or utility account in your name, or use your information to get a loan, a job, or medical care. They might even file taxes in your name to get your refund.

Identity Theft Awareness Week is an excellent opportunity to learn and talk about identity theft to help protect yourself, your family, and your friends.

Scams have reached an all-time high in Kentucky, including frequently reported scams to the Kentucky Court of Justice – the state’s court system.

One such scam involves fake arrest warrants. ​In a common version of this scheme, the scammer mails, emails or calls potential victims pretending to be law enforcement and says there is a warrant for their arrest. The scammer demands payment to avoid arrest.

While such scams are not uncommon or isolated to Kentucky, warrant forgery is becoming more sophisticated. A fraudulent warrant may display the Kentucky Court of Justice seal, a case number and list various charges, often for charges such as failure to appear in court or missed jury service.

Remember, a valid arrest warrant is never served by phone, text ​or email.

The AOC is inviting all Kentuckians to explore the new scam alert webpage and bookmark it to check back for alerts anytime. It can be found at https://kcoj.info/CourtsScamAlert.