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Scam alert

Calls Demanding Court Fees After a Protective Order

Published · North Carolina · ncdoj.gov · Arrives by a phone call

The short answer

No police officer, sheriff's deputy, or district attorney will call and ask you to pay money over the phone. North Carolina's Attorney General said on September 17, 2026 that callers are ringing domestic violence survivors soon after an arrest or a court hearing, claiming a payment is needed to post bond, to file a protective order, to process electronic monitoring, or to keep someone in custody. The details they quote come from public court filings and dockets, not from the case itself. Filing a protective order is free, and so is help from a Family Justice Center. If a call like this comes, you can hang up and call the court or the sheriff's office on a number you look up yourself.

What is happening

The North Carolina Department of Justice said on September 17, 2026 that people going through domestic violence cases were being called by someone claiming to be law enforcement, court staff, or a district attorney's office, usually within a short time of an arrest, a hearing, or a court date, when a call about the case would seem to make sense. The callers work from public court filings and family court dockets, so they can name the case, the parties, and what has just happened. The payments asked for are dressed as court business: a bond, a filing fee for a protective order, a processing charge for electronic monitoring, or a contribution toward keeping someone in custody. The Attorney General's position was flat: no legitimate agency or district attorney calls to demand money, and protective orders and support services carry no fee.

How to recognize it

  • The call comes soon after an arrest, a hearing, or a court date, when contact about the case would not feel strange.
  • The caller says they are a police officer, a deputy, court staff, or from a district attorney's office.
  • A payment is described as a bond, a filing fee, a processing charge for monitoring, or a fund connected to custody.
  • The caller can name the case and what recently happened, which comes from public dockets rather than from inside the court.
  • You are pushed to pay now, and discouraged from checking with the court or with an advocate first.

What to do instead

  1. Hang up. A court or law enforcement agency does not take payments by phone.
  2. Filing a protective order is free. So is talking to an advocate at a Family Justice Center or a domestic violence agency.
  3. Look up the clerk of court or the sheriff's office yourself and call to ask whether anything is actually owed.
  4. Talk it through with your advocate or attorney if you have one. They deal with this and will know the real process.
  5. Report the call to the North Carolina Consumer Protection Division on 1-877-5-NO-SCAM, or to your own state's attorney general.

If it already happened

Responding to one of these is common and understandable. These steps are what people usually take next.

  1. Contact your bank, card issuer, or payment app straight away and tell them the payment was fraud, so they can try to stop it.
  2. Tell local law enforcement and the clerk of court, and let your advocate or attorney know the call happened.
  3. If you shared personal details, use IdentityTheft.gov for a recovery plan and watch for further contact.
  4. Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and in North Carolina on 1-877-5-NO-SCAM. Keep the number that called and what was said.
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Common questions

How did the caller know about my hearing?
Court filings and dockets are public records in most places, and they can be read by anyone. That is how a caller can name the case and the timing without having any connection to the court. Knowing the details is not proof the call is genuine.
Is there ever a fee to file a protective order?
No. North Carolina's Attorney General said plainly that protective orders are free to file and that services through Family Justice Centers are free as well. A request for a filing fee is a sign the call is not what it says it is.
What if I am worried the call really was about my case?
That worry is reasonable, and checking is straightforward. End the call, look up the clerk of court or the sheriff's office on the county's own website, and ask them directly. Anything genuine will still be there, and the people in that office are used to the question.

Practice this safely

Practice ending an official-sounding call about a court matter and checking with the court on a number you looked up yourself.

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Calls Demanding Court Fees After a Protective Order

No police officer, sheriff's deputy, or district attorney will call and ask you to pay money over the phone. North Carolina's Attorney General said on September 17, 2026 that callers are ringing domestic violence survivors soon after an arrest or a court hearing, claiming a payment is needed to post bond, to file a protective order, to process electronic monitoring, or to keep someone in custody. The details they quote come from public court filings and dockets, not from the case itself. Filing a protective order is free, and so is help from a Family Justice Center. If a call like this comes, you can hang up and call the court or the sheriff's office on a number you look up yourself.

Read the full alert: https://endscamsproject.com/latest-scams/domestic-violence-court-fee-calls

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