Scams

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Protect Yourself: Scams Using the Court's Name

Scams have become prolific. Some leave you questioning, could this be a legitimate notification?

Several scams circulating claim to be from the Franklin County Municipal Court.  If you received a text from the Franklin County Municipal Court or the Franklin County Municipal Clerk’s Office asking you to pay a fine for a parking ticket, toll, or missed court hearing, this is a scam.

Is That Message Really Coming From the Court?

  • The Court does not send text messages about fines — ever.
  • Fines must be paid through the Franklin County Municipal Clerk's Office. The Court will never ask you to pay via QR code.
  • Some scam messages threaten a court date if a fine isn't paid. To verify whether you have an actual case and a court date, visit www.fcmcclerk.com/case/search. You can search by name, view existing cases, and check upcoming court dates under "Events."

Look closely at the details.  For example, the recent text claiming to come from the court has a fake Seal of Ohio; look closely at the wording. The notice also lists the name of a judge who isn’t (and never was) a sitting judge at the Municipal Court.

Other Scams to Watch For

Missed Jury Duty Scam Callers claim you missed jury duty and owe a fine. They may even spoof the Sheriff's Office phone number to appear legitimate. Remember: legitimate court fines are only paid at the Franklin County Municipal Clerk's Office. To check your jury duty status, call the Franklin County Municipal Jury Commissioner at 614-645-7726.

GPS Monitoring Scam Someone contacts defendants offering to arrange early or priority GPS monitoring setup — for a fee. The Municipal Court does not offer early GPS setup at a defendant's request. This is a scam. 

The Franklin County Sheriff's Office has released more information about the scam at (link to more information regarding the GPS scam) and asks that you report the crime to the Sheriff's Office.

New scams appear weekly. If you receive a notice that doesn’t seem right, make some checks. A few minutes can save you thousands and a lot of headaches.

Did you receive a scam? Take these steps:

  • Don’t pay the fine.
  • Then report the scam to your local law enforcement agency.
  • The Federal Trade Commission is investigating the parking ticket/toll scam and launching other investigations. They also ask you to report scams to the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/?orgcode=OHFCMC

Stay Informed

Read previous press releases from the Court about scams and other news: franklincountymunicourt.org/About/Events-and-Media-Releases

 

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