Butler County judge warns of phone scam spoofing county courts
Butler County Common Pleas Judge S. Michael Yeager is warning residents of a phone scam making the rounds in which the caller makes use of a phony number “spoofing” an official court telephone number.
Using these seemingly-legitimate numbers, these calls attempt to convince the recipient that they have missed an important hearing and that they are under the threat of arrest, unless some kind of payment is made to the “Butler Circuit Court,” which does not exist.
“Residents are advised that the Butler County Courts will never place calls soliciting payments by credit card, gift card or any other means of electronic funds transfer for any reason,” according to a news release from Butler County Courts.
Residents who receive one of these phone calls are advised to hang up immediately and contact state or local police and/or the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Bureau of Consumer Protection at 800-441-2555.
