Montco Sheriff Impersonator Seeks Money In Scam Phone Calls

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — Law enforcement officials are warning Montgomery County residents to be on the lookout for scammers who are calling households pretending to be a county sheriff, telling the residents they have an arrest warrant for failing to appear for jury duty and could avoid trouble by providing payment to make the warrant go away.

"Montgomery County residents need to know that arrest warrants are never handled in this manner," Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said in a statement. "No money is involved if there is a warrant issued for someone's failure to appear in court for jury duty or for any other reason. A failure to appear warrant must be handled in a courtroom in front of a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas. Anyone who has gotten one of these calls should alert Montgomery County Detectives that they received this scam phone call."

Officials said scammers typically call from a spoofed, or fake, phone number that is made to appear as though it is originating from the local '610' Montgomery County area code.

In the scam, a caller typically refers to oneself as a "sergeant" with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office and will often address the resident who answers the phone by name and by providing other correct information about the individual, according to a news release from the Montgomery County DA's Office.

The caller then goes on to tell the resident they either have an arrest warrant for failing to appear for jury duty, or that one is in the works, and that they can resolve the matter by paying a fee, which is typically anywhere from $900 to $2,500, the DA's Office stated.

The scammer then reportedly tells people on the other end of the phone that the fastest way to get rid of the warrant is to pay the fee in gift cards or prepaid debit cards.

"Our personnel are Deputy Sheriffs, not Sergeants, and they do not operate in this manner," Montgomery County Sheriff Sean P. Kilkenny said in a statement. "Sheriff personnel will never call a resident to demand money to satisfy a warrant or demand money for any reason."

Officials said anyone receiving a similar phone call who is wondering about its legitimacy can contact the main number at the Montgomery County Courthouse and ask to be connected to the Sheriff's Office.

Anyone who was a victim to this scam and turned over money to the fraudsters can contact the Montgomery County Detective Bureau at 610-278-3368 to speak with a detective.