2014
Court officials warn of fraudulent e-mail messages
Madison, Wisconsin - January 15, 2014
Wisconsin court officials are advising residents to be aware of a recent spate of fraudulent e-mail messages that appear to require the recipient to appear in "the court of Washington."
Recipients are advised in the message to open an attached file, which may infect computers with a virus or malware. The scam has been reported since late December in jurisdictions nationwide, including Wisconsin.
Washington County (Wisconsin) Clerk of Circuit Court Theresa M. Russell reported Wednesday that her office has received more than 100 calls from people who received the seemingly important message regarding an upcoming court hearing.
Russell said the messages are not legitimate. Anyone wanting to verify an upcoming state court appearance in Wisconsin may check online on the Wisconsin court system's website at http://wcca.wicourts.gov/index.xsl or contact a particular county clerk of circuit court office directly.
Contact:
Tom Sheehan
Court Information Officer
(608) 261-6640