Fraud and Scam FAQs

The primary difference between a scam and fraud is that fraud is often a secret theft, whereas a scam is a form of trickery where the victim is manipulated into handing over their valuables.

Fraud involves unauthorized or hidden actions by a criminal to gain access to your information or assets—for example, someone taking over your bank account.

Scams involve a scheme or deception that tricks you into willingly sending money or revealing your information.

Yes. Fraud takes many forms, including falsification of official documents, theft of money or personal and/or organizational information, telephone scams, email and text scams, and many other sinister schemes.

Property that is sold without the owner’s authorization or knowledge is known as Property Fraud. This type of fraud happens when bad actors, by forging documents, file fake deeds and/ or a lien on your property. These scammers appear to own your property through fraudulent acts and can proceed to rent or sell the home without the true homeowner's knowledge.

Protect Yourself: Sign-up for the free Property Fraud Alert Service to receive an “early warning” email notification whenever a document using your personal or business name is recorded in Sarasota County. Subscribers to this notification system will be able to take prompt, appropriate action on suspected fraudulent activity.

Notifications are sent within 24 hours of a document being recorded. You can review the documents through public records or file a dispute with law enforcement.

For more information, refer to the Property Fraud Alert Service FAQs.

Tip: When you register for the Alert Service, be sure to register variations of your name. Example: Michael Smith, Mike J. Smith, Mike Smith

If you received a solicitation from a company offering to sell you a copy of your certified property deed for a large and unexpected fee, understand that the company must first buy the deed from the Clerk of Court before they can provide it to you. Since these documents are public records, you can purchase copies directly from the Clerk and Comptroller for a nominal fee.

Protect Yourself: Contact the Clerk’s Public Access Department for document certification and mailing if applicable. Most deeds are only a few pages long and are processed within 72 hours.

NO!

This is a type of scam in which a citizen receives a call, text, or email from someone who claims to be an employee of the Clerk of Court or other law enforcement official, warning that they failed to appear for jury duty or a court case, and there is a warrant for their arrest. The caller then demands money. Typically, the scammer requests that you make a payment (often by ‘Green Dot’ reloadable debit card). Do NOT pay money!

Clerk and Comptroller employees do not initiate unexpected contact with citizens to request payment by phone, email, or other means.

Protect Yourself: If you receive a phone call or email/text solicitation regarding jury duty, the solution is simple: Do not engage. Hang up the phone. Do not reply to the email or text message. Never give out your personal or financial information by phone, text, or email.

If you receive a court-related call and are unsure about it, call the Clerk and Comptroller's Jury Office at (941) 861-7800 for verification.

Do not rely on Caller ID—it can be spoofed! And many phone numbers may look like the Clerk’s phone number.

To be certain that you are receiving a call or text from the Clerk and Comptroller’s Office, you must dial the Clerk’s phone number directly from your phone. Hang-up and call our phone number: (941) 861-7400.

For email, please note that our employees do not give out their business email addresses. Always double-check email addresses by calling our office to verify if an electronic message is really from the Clerk’s Office.

Yes, non-payment of a fine is a reason a driver’s license may be suspended, BUT you will not receive a phone call from the Clerk’s Office requesting you to make an immediate payment by phone, email, or text.

If you have received a call, text, or email from someone who claims to be an employee of the Clerk of Court, warning that your driver’s license will be suspended for failure to pay a traffic ticket, it may be a Traffic Scam.

Scammers are now impersonating Clerk and Comptroller employees who contact citizens, informing them that they have unpaid fines for a traffic ticket. These scammers have gone so far as to provide actual copies of tickets to support their criminal actions. Often, the scammer will threaten to suspend a citizen’s driver’s license if payment is not received by a specified deadline.

Legitimate contact from the Clerk and Comptroller regarding financial obligations will always instruct citizens to call the office main phone number at (941) 861-7400 or to visit the website to make a payment.

If an unpaid financial obligation has been sent to a collection agency, you may be contacted by these agencies to discuss payment arrangements. State and federal collection regulations bind these agencies. You can always call the Clerk and Comptroller’s Office to verify if your account has been transferred to a collections agency.

Protect Yourself: If you question the legitimacy of a phone call, text, or other correspondence seeking payment for a traffic ticket, please do not send a payment without first contacting the Clerk and Comptroller’s Office Traffic & Fines Division (941) 861-7400 to inquire about the ticket and report suspected fraud.

Guardianship Fraud includes incidents of financial fraud or waste involving court-appointed guardians. Sarasota’s Clerk and Comptroller also serves as the Office of Inspector General (OIG) and conducts court-ordered guardianship audits on behalf of local and state agencies, as outlined in Chapter 744, Florida Statutes.

Protect Yourself: If you suspect guardianship fraud, contact the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Fraud Hotline at (855) 506-0304.

The Internal Audit Department and Office of Inspector General established a toll-free Fraud Hotline to report suspected fraud, waste, or abuse: (855) 506-0304.

The Investigative Services Team gathers information and makes recommendations. The caller may be referred to other organizational offices, such as Human Resources or Sarasota County Ethics and Compliance.