WEST PALM BEACH (March 4, 2026) – Clerk Mike Caruso is warning Palm Beach County to be on the lookout for scammers who are impersonating law enforcement officers and tricking people with legitimate traffic tickets into paying their fines through Zelle, leaving tickets unpaid and people facing the threat of losing their driver’s licenses.
An attorney reported to the Clerk’s office that at least two customers were contacted by scammers using the phone number 561-412-4186. Both customers were directed to send payment via Zelle to palmbeachcountypayment@gmail.com to close their cases. The scammers pretended to be from Jupiter Police Department and from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and used the email address palmbeachcountypayment@gmail.com for Zelle payments.
The Clerk’s office does not accept payments via Zelle and does not use Gmail accounts to communicate with the public. Law enforcement will not contact customers to pay their traffic fines and fees, and customers must pay their traffic fines through the Clerk’s office – not through payment systems like Zelle, Venmo, CashApp or other services.
“It is so important for everyone to remember that when in doubt, don’t give your info out,” Clerk Caruso said. “If you ever have a question about whether a payment request you receive is legitimate, call us first at 561-355-2996 before sending money. We are Here To Help.”
Clerk Caruso also recommended reporting and blocking 561-412-4186 if you receive a call or text message from that number.
In both instances reported to the Clerk’s office, scammers used legitimate case numbers, the names of judges presiding over the cases, and the law enforcement agencies issuing the citations. In one case, they even used the real name of a police officer from the Jupiter Police Department. In the other case they used the name “Sgt. Bradshaw” from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
These types of scams are why Clerk Caruso issued a series of public service announcements in December 2025 to alert Palm Beach County about three scams: Traffic ticket scams, juror summons scams, and property deed scams.
Watch the PSAs on the Clerk’s YouTube channel and learn how to protect yourself from scams at: www.mypalmbeachclerk.com/scams.
