ANOTHER LOCAL SCAM THAT YOU SHOULD BE MADE AWARE OF!

THE FOLLOWING IS A REPRINT FROM THE OFFICIAL ORANGE COUNTY CLERK OF COURTS WEB SITE.

Clerk of the Circuit and County Courts
Orange County • Florida
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Scam Alert
New Scam Uses Email to Target Citizens
 The latest in a string of scams targeting Florida residents now includes
 individuals claiming to be from Clerks’ offices sending menacing
 emails in an attempt to steal personal information.
 The fraudulent emails are being sent to citizens purportedly from
 Clerks’ offices across the state. The emails reference missed jury duty or
 court appearances and attempt to retrieve personal data by computer
 virus attached as a .zip file. These malicious attachments contain a
 “Trojan Horse” virus that becomes active as soon as the file is unzipped.
Clerk of Courts Eddie Fernández reminds residents that official court communications
are sent through standard mail. Jury summons and failure to appear notices are not
communicated via phone or email.
The Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers have compiled a list of important tips to
remember regarding court services:
• The Clerk’s Office does not call or email residents to request payment for missing jury
 duty. The Office will also never request payment via any sort of prepaid debit card.
• The Clerk’s Office does not call or email residents to verify information related to jury
 duty. Communications are only sent by mail.
• If a resident misses jury duty, the individual receives a failure to appear notice in the
 mail from the judge representing his or her Circuit Court.
• Arrest warrants are not usually issued for failure to report for jury duty. Please contact
 the Clerk’s Office if you receive one.
• Do not open an email attachment from any unfamiliar source, and never provide
 personal information to an unfamiliar source, either by phone or email.
If you receive a call or email that you suspect is related to this scam, contact Orange
County Jury Services at 407-836-2206 or in Osceola County, 407-742-2421.