The Morris County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents in Denville and across Morris County about a phone scam in which callers pose as law enforcement and claim the person has an active arrest warrant for missing jury duty.
The scammers are spoofing caller ID so the call appears to come from the Sheriff’s Office’s real number, (973) 285-6610. The office says the calls are not coming from that line.
Callers typically identify themselves as law enforcement officers, tell the victim a warrant has been issued, then pressure the person to stay on the phone and avoid contacting family, an attorney or police. Some send fraudulent paperwork, including fake arrest warrants carrying official-looking seals, signatures and court information.
The Sheriff’s Office says law enforcement will never demand payment to avoid an arrest, and will never ask anyone to send money through Bitcoin kiosks, gift cards, wire transfers or other unconventional methods. Legitimate court matters and arrest warrants move through established legal procedures, not phone calls demanding immediate payment.
Residents who get one of these calls should hang up right away and give out no personal or banking information. Anyone unsure whether a call is real should look up a trusted number from an official source and call back, rather than using the number shown on caller ID.
Anyone who believes they were targeted, or who lost money, is asked to report it to the Morris County Sheriff’s Office.
The office is also asking residents to pass the warning along to family, friends and neighbors, especially older adults, who are frequently targeted by scams like this one.
Photo credit: Morris County Sheriff’s Office
For more Denville public safety coverage, read about the Denville Police Department’s free home security assessment program and the township’s annual National Night Out.
