HENDERSON, KY (WFIE) -
Henderson's Circuit Clerk says many prank victims have been calling the courthouse in a panic before listening to the whole message, and while some who've received the call say they think it's just a funny joke, officials aren't laughing.
"Hello, the following is an urgent message from the National Justice Center," the prank caller says.
It starts out as a text from a number you recognize, saying the courthouse has your name on a failure to appear list. The message then asks you to call a 704 area-code number.
"Ignoring these notifications and failing to appear in court for jury duty is a class three misdemeanor," the caller says.
The recording then gives you options, press two to pay a $500 fee, press three for a short jail sentence, and the final option ,send the call to a friend's cell phone advertising a website called "Humorhotlines.com.
But the Henderson County Circuit Court says many residents are panicking and hanging up before hearing that final option.
"People are very concerned. They're making calls back to the court system with their concerns about why they didn't receive any kind of notification about it," said Henderson Co. Sheriff Sgt. Brent Gramig.
Henderson Circuit Clerk Ruth London says a court staff member even received the text and she says the dozens of concerned calls to the courthouse are disrupting office time.
"It is tying up the court system's time. These people are concerned that they've done something that they didn't intend to do," Gramig said.
The Sheriff's Office says if a victim chose to notify law enforcement, the person forwarding the message could face harassment charges. They tell us, if you do send the message to a friend, make sure they know it's not real.
"Rather than them getting worried and stressed over the matter and then contacting the court system," Gramig said.
The Circuit Clerk tells 14 News, even if a person did fail to appear in court, they wouldn't get a text message or cell phone call from the court system.
According to FCC records, the company behind humorhotlines.com was cited for breaking rules concerning delivering prerecorded, unsolicited advertisements to phone lines.
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While some who've received the call say they think it's just a funny joke, officials aren't laughing.
