New scam making the rounds in Smith County

SMITH COUNTY — The Smith County Sheriff’s Office said they’ve been made aware of a new civil probate scam. The scam involves an email sent to an individual who had actually hired a local law firm to assist in probating an estate. This individual called their law firm, who in turn contacted the Smith County Clerk’s Office. The law firm was able to determine, through the County Clerk’s Office, that this was actually a fraudulent email.

The sender fraudulently used the name of our County Clerk and used a similar email through a Gmail account. The information was most likely obtained through public records by utilizing the internet. This could have easily been mistaken as a legitimate email and the recipient could have been victimized. Fortunately, the recipient felt unsure about the email and her attorney’s office took a pro-active approach.

The Sheriff’s Department reminds residents, the Smith County Clerk’s Office will never send anyone an email asking for money. If you receive an email such as this, please scrutinize it carefully and take note of the sender’s email address. If you have any questions as to the veracity of any email, please call the County office represented in the correspondence.