It has come to our attention that scammers are using a fake TCSO letterhead in order to facilitate fraud. The attached letter was sent to a person informing them that they were caught speeding with a TCSO “Automated Speed Enforcement System” that doesn’t exist.
The scammers include the actual phone numbers and email for the Tillamook County Justice Court and TCSO. It appears that this letter is a bait letter that will be followed up with further correspondence demanding payment or threatening arrest. The recipient of this letter did the correct thing by calling the Tillamook County Justice Court directly using the phone number listed on the official Tillamook County web page when they suspected it was a fraudulent letter.
It is very easy for scammers to create realistic-looking emails, documents and web sites, and unfortunately, it’s only getting worse. Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) programs, it is possible to clone a person’s voice, and scammers are using this technology to trick victims into thinking their family members need bail money or some other assistance.
Please be vigilant, and always verify the legitimacy of anyone requesting personal information or payment.
TCSO does not have any sort of automated speed enforcement system and we do not administer payments of traffic violations.
Remember, official government agencies, financial institutions and legitimate collection agencies will NEVER request payment in the form of gift cards. This request is a sure indication that it is a scam regardless of how convincing the document or person is.
