Scammers’ latest trick: Fake court orders demanding payment

The COJ Facebook page recently posted an example of a fake court order sent by scammers. The fake order looks highly authentic. It comes printed with court’s seal as well as the receiver's name and instructions to transfer money to the bank account specified. It also warns that failure to transfer the money will result in the recipient’s arrest or seizure of their assets.

However, the COJ clarified that it never sends court orders demanding transfer of payment.

“If a court order is sent to you with instructions to transfer money to a bank account, for whatever reason, do not believe it,” said the COJ statement.

It warned that scammers are also trying to trick people via other methods, from phone calls to messaging.

The court also advised people to be cautious of Facebook messages from friends, pointing out their accounts may have been hacked to steal their personal or financial data. Hence it was best to check by calling first.

The COJ offered six guidelines for using social media safely:

1. Do not accept friend requests from strangers.
2. Do not accept friend requests from accounts that do not use a real profile picture or real name.
3. Verify accounts by checking whether they post or share posts regularly.
4. Be aware that even authentic-looking accounts can be fake.
5. Check the profile to make sure it contains personal information rather than something related to a pyramid scheme.
6. Use your privacy setting to ensure you are not revealing personal information such as assets, address, or how many people live in your house