Phone Scam Calls Reported to the Travis County District Attorney’s Office
Travis County, TX — The Travis County District Attorney’s Office (TCDA) urges residents to be cautious of a phone scam where individuals impersonate staff members from our office.
Since Tuesday, June 16, 2026, our office has received four reports from residents who were contacted by someone claiming to be a TCDA staff member. The scammer falsely claimed that the residents were under investigation and instructed them to call the scammer back.
In some instances, the scammers used the real name of a TCDA staff member and made it seem as if the call was from our office by using a spoofing app that displayed the main TCDA number on their caller IDs.
In one scam call, a resident was falsely informed that a subpoena would be issued for committing a crime, accompanied by intimidation tactics, unless they took certain actions. They were told to complete a questionnaire to prequalify for a potential dismissal of the case or face court. If eligible, they would be asked to pay over $400 to dismiss the case; otherwise, fines could range from $1,000.00 to $20,000. The caller also provided instructions on making payments either into a government account or to the County Clerk.
The scammer also supplied the resident with two real TCDA numbers and one from a phone with a 210 area code.
In previous years, our office has warned residents about similar scams where callers used spoofing apps to threaten legal action unless immediate payment was made. In one instance, a victim paid $1,200 into a scammer’s Bitcoin account.
What residents need to know:
- The TCDA office never calls residents to ask for credit/debit card numbers, wire transfers, or bank routing numbers or to seek payment over the phone.
- Our office will never demand immediate payment in person with cash, gift card, or Bitcoin.
- If a Travis County resident receives a phone call threatening arrest, demanding immediate payment, or requesting credit card or bank account information, hang up and report the incident immediately to your local law enforcement agency.
- In addition to making a report with your local law enforcement agency, they should make an online report with the Federal Trade Commission at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/
- Anyone who has received a similar call may contact the Travis County District Attorney’s Office at 512-854-9400 and ask to speak with an investigator to authenticate the received call.
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