Callers claim residents face arrest for missing jury duty, then demand immediate payment through cryptocurrency, gift cards, wire transfers or similar methods.
MORRIS COUNTY, NJ – The Morris County Sheriff’s Office issued an August 3 warning about callers impersonating law-enforcement officers and falsely claiming that residents have arrest warrants for missing jury duty.
The scammers can manipulate caller ID so a call appears to come from the Sheriff’s Office’s legitimate number, 973-285-6610. The displayed number is not proof that the call is genuine.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, callers typically tell a target that an arrest warrant has been issued, pressure the person to remain on the phone and discourage contact with relatives, attorneys or law enforcement. Some targets have received fraudulent documents containing official-looking seals, signatures or court information.
The Sheriff’s Office said law-enforcement agencies do not demand payment over the telephone to cancel a warrant or prevent an arrest. They also do not require payment through:
- Bitcoin or cryptocurrency kiosks
- Gift cards
- Wire transfers
- Other unconventional payment services
Anyone receiving such a call should hang up without providing personal, banking or payment information. To verify a purported court or law-enforcement matter, find the agency’s number through an official government website and place a new call. Do not rely on the caller ID display or a number supplied by the caller.
Residents who were targeted or lost money should report the incident to the Morris County Sheriff’s Office. The county is also asking residents to warn relatives and neighbors, particularly older adults who are frequently targeted by payment-demand scams.