3. Traffic Ticket Scam
Like the Missed Jury Duty scam, the Traffic Ticket scam capitalizes on the fact that most people just aren’t that familiar with the legal system.
Clever scammers simply ran the numbers: police officers in America write about 100,000 speeding tickets every day.
And speeding is costly. In states like Texas, for instance, going just 15 miles over the speed limit can cost you over $200. So it’s a scam with huge potential for the bad guys.
And, since 1 in 6 Americans gets a ticket each year, your chances of being on their list are pretty high. The scam is relatively simple. Since traffic citations are part of the public record, it’s easy for scammers to find out you received a ticket.
Then they give you a call, explain that they’re employed by the court system, and offer to process payment over the phone. Unfortunately, once you give them your payment information, they can run up a lot of charges before you figure out you’ve been scammed. And, to add insult to injury, you still owe the fine.
The bottom line is, never give payment information to someone who calls you. You may indeed be able to pay over the phone, but look up the number yourself.