Recent Surge In Mail, Phone Scams Seen In Morris County, Sheriff Warns

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — The Morris County Sheriff's Office and several local police departments are sounding the alarm about a phone scam in which fraudsters pose as law enforcement officers to deceive residents.

Officials report that scammers are manipulating caller ID to make it appear as though calls are coming from police or sheriff's offices.

These fraudsters spoof local sheriff office phone numbers, threatening victims with arrest unless they pay a fee or coercing them into divulging personal information.

During the call, scammers impersonating sheriff's officers inform their victims that they've missed jury duty, a court date, or that there's a warrant for their arrest. They then pressure residents to stay on the line while they go to the bank, withdraw money, and pay the fee through Bitcoin, Venmo, or Zelle.

The sheriff’s office warns that any caller claiming to be law enforcement and requesting money or gift cards is a scam. Officials urge the public to contact a family member or the police if they receive such calls.

Here are some common scam tactics to watch out for:

• Email or phone call notifying you that your accounts have been hacked.
• Email or pop-up from Microsoft claiming that your computer has been compromised.
• Email or pop-up from Geek Squad stating that you owe money or have been hacked.
• Facebook message alleging that your account has been hacked.
• Caller from a bank or business requesting personal data to update their records.
• Caller posing as law enforcement claiming there is a warrant for your arrest.
• Caller claiming your grandchild has been in an accident and needs bail money.

"Any caller telling you to buy gift cards or submit money to a bitcoin or cash machine for payment is not legitimate. Some scammers will tell you they need to get access to your computer to fix the problem," police officials said. "This is a ploy, and you should never allow anyone access to your computer."

Earlier this year, residents in several towns reported this scam to local police or the sheriff's office, including but not limited to Florham Park, Mendham Borough, Chester, Chatham Township and Montville Township, officials said.

Anyone who has been scammed should report the incident to the County Sheriff’s Office or their local law enforcement agency.