Hays County Clerk’s Office Warns Of Phone Scam

Hays County, TX – Hays County Clerk Liz Gonzalez is warning residents not to be taken in by a new scam that has come to her attention.

“Several residents have reported that ‘Hays County Clerk’ pops up on their Caller ID and someone claiming to be in the County Clerk’s Office, or a collection agency connected with the Clerk’s Office, demands payment over the phone to settle a lawsuit or to pay a fine,” Gonzalez said. “We want to make sure people understand that the Clerk’s Office does not handle lawsuits – we only keep Court records – nor do we ask for or accept payments over the phone.”

The scam is similar in nature to those in which callers claiming to be with the IRS, federal courts, etc., demand payments by debit or prepaid bank cards and manipulate a computer system to falsify Caller IDs. If in doubt, residents should always get as much information as possible from the person calling, and then look up the actual phone number or website for the agency involved and contact it directly to find out if money is actually owed. Most government agencies accept payments via a secure link on their websites.

If you think you have been a victim of this type of fraud you can report it to your local law enforcement agency. Scam complaints should also be filed with the Texas Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division.