The Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office released a statement on Thursday warning Evansville area residents of a new e-mail scam involving false traffic violations.

According to the Department, they've received several reports from residents who have been targeted by the scam questioning its validity. It seems the scammers are targeting public e-mail addresses they get from local businesses websites and sending them messages claiming a traffic violation took place in the area of the business where the e-mail address was obtained. The message of course includes an option of paying the false fine online to clear up the infraction.

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(Courtesy - Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Department)
(Courtesy - Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Department)
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As the Department notes, the e-mails lack a few defining pieces of information required in legitimate citations, including:

  • Date and time of the violation
  • Vehicle description
  • License plate number
  • Photo of the violator vehicle taken by the traffic camera.

The Sheriff's Department also points out there are currently no traffic cameras in Vanderburgh County and that violation notices of any type are "never emailed."

If you or someone you know has been targeted by this scam, the Sheriff's Department encourages you to pass the information along to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.

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