As reputable as process serving in Oklahoma is, scammers poised as process server OKC are giving it a bad image.
Most of the process serving-related scams involve masquerading process servers in Oklahoma, forcing their unsuspecting victims into paying them out of fear and ignorance.
These wild cats devise various means to catch their prey, and their most-used tactics are threats and trickery.
The procedure of services for Process server Oklahoma makes it a perfect decoy for scamming
since process servers in Oklahoma City are usually unknown to defendants until they show up at your door with papers.
It’s possible to avoid falling into process serving scams in Oklahoma, and we will be discussing tips to achieve that in subsequent paragraphs.
Before then, let’s look into some of the most common process serving scams in OKC to look out for. They include:
- Debt Collection Scam — This is one of Oklahoma’s most popular process serving scams. Fake debt collectors feign as process server Oklahoma and call you up to inform you about a lawsuit due to your inability to pay the debt.
The complexity of the debt industry makes it challenging to identify a scam. Also, these scammers can be so good that they’d provide you with information you have no reasons to doubt.
After informing you about the lawsuit, the usual pattern is to offer to help settle with the debt collector outside court. They can claim the debt collector has agreed to a reduced settlement, and you should pay that amount within the shortest time possible.
Whether you have an existing debt or not, you should never fall for this or pay anyone any money based on phone conversations.
- Payment Request: When a process server Edmond Oklahoma, process server Enid Oklahoma, or a process server Tulsa Oklahoma asks for payment after delivering your papers, know that you’re about to be scammed.
The law provisions guiding process servers Oklahoma City and other process servers Nationwide doesn’t permit them to request or accept payment from defendants.
The process servers are paid by those who hired them, either the plaintiff, a lawyer or the process server agency he’s working.
Paying a process server as a defendant isn’t legal, and it’s one of the common cons unethical process servers and disguised scammers utilize to defraud unsuspecting defendants.
- Offer To Make Case Go Away — Here’s another common scam that fraudsters posed as process servers Oklahoma frequently commits. No process server has the power to withdraw your case or make it disappear.
Only the plaintiff can choose to withdraw her petition and not go through with a case. If a process server ever makes this request, then there’s a high chance that such a process server is a scammer.
- Offer To Not Deliver Papers for Money — The legal duty of a process server is to serve legal documents.
However, scammers posing as process servers OKC often offer to neglect this duty in exchange for cash. It is one of the prominent process serving scams one must be on the lookout for.
An ethical and licensed process server will never ask you for money in exchange for not delivering your legal papers.
All these are common processes serving related scams in Oklahoma City. It’s essential to know signs to look out for to identify potential scams and protect yourself from them. We look into these signs below.
How To Identity Process Serving Scams in Oklahoma
Most scammer masquerading process servers in Oklahoma City usually follow the same pattern. Hence, you be on the lookout for any the following red flags:
- Constant Phone Threats — A real process server in Oklahoma will not call you consistently and threaten you with lawsuits if you fail to comply with his terms.
Phone calls aren’t the go-to approach of actual process servers. Hence, once you’re constantly receiving any call from a local line or suspicious number about a case you know nothing about, it’s likely a scam.
These calls usually come with threats of arrest, lawsuits, or demand for payment. You should know that no process server has the right to do any of these, including receiving payment from you.
- Request for Money — This is the ultimate sign you need, but it usually doesn’t come as direct as them calling you for money.
However, once a process server requests payment from you for any reason whatsoever, you have every right to see such a process server as a scammer and treat him like one.
- Inability to Provide Details About the Case — Asking necessary information like the courthouse he filed the case, and the case number can save you from the scammer.
Most scammers poised as process servers won’t provide this information, as they’re aware you can cross-check with public records to ascertain if indeed the case exists.
- Invalid License Information — If the license information provided by the scammer proves invalid, you should know the person is a scammer.
Most times, they wouldn’t oblige with your request for license details, and when they do, the information provided is usually incorrect.
Tip to Protect Yourself from Scams
To protect yourself from petty and major process serving scams in Oklahoma, you need to be on the lookout for the essential signs mentioned above, and also do the following;
- Do not divulge personal information — When you get on a call with a process serving scammer, ensure that you’re calm enough not to divulge certain essential information that they can further use to threaten or blackmail you.
Be careful of the information you’ll provide about you, as letting the wrong information out increases the chances of scam success.
- Ask for license information — Scammers do not usually have a license, and the question can throw him off balance and switch the momentum to your side during the conversation. Most scammers can’t provide valid license information because they rarely have a license.
- Don’t give in to threats — This works best when you know your rights and the limitations of whatever the process server throws at you. Always remember, a process server can’t make your case go away, arrest you, assault you, or charge you.
- Do Not Pay — If you feel too pressured over the phone, you can always end the call and choose not to receive it again after the scam signs are established.
You can always tell the process server to deal directly with your attorney if it’s physical. Irrespective, do not be too pressured to grant their payment request because that’s the ultimate aim of every scam.
- Factcheck — You can always call the Court clerk of any courthouse to confirm the validity of a case. Also, in the case of a debt scam, cross-check with yourself if you’re not owing, or call the quarters you owe directly for confirmation if you do.
Ultimately, you should notify the appropriate law enforcement authorities once you notice someone is trying to scam you.
Process serving scams in OKC are gradually on the rise, and you should be wary of them irrespective of the forms they come. Stay safe!
