MORRIS COUNTY — The Morris County Sheriff’s Office is advising the Morris County community to be aware of a continuing phone scam that has been making the rounds again targeting residents of Morris County as well as communities nationwide.
Sheriff James M. Gannon said, “In the most recent calls, the caller and/or message will use an agency number for their Caller ID and will identify themselves as an employee of the Morris County Sheriff’s Office. The caller says the resident has an outstanding debt and demands a prepaid credit card or the resident will be arrested. The caller states if the resident cannot pay, they must turn themselves in and may provide an address of a section of the Sheriff’s Office. In the event these fraudulent calls are received, residents should never give their personal or financial information over the phone, nor should they arrange to meet someone to provide a prepaid credit card. The Morris County Sheriff’s Office will never solicit methods of payment and/or personal identifiers over the phone.”
In 2017, and in January and May of this year, similar scams surfaced posing as officers seeking personal information and Green Dot MoneyPak cards for false warrants, civil process fees, overdue IRS payments and non-appearance for jury duty. Residents should notify their local authorities should they receive these calls.
ALL AGENCY INFORMATION AND CONTACTS CAN BE ACCESSED AND VERIFIED THROUGH THE MORRIS COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE WEBSITE AT WWW.SHERIFF.MORRISCOUNTYNJ.GOV
Any suspicious calls regarding the Morris County Sheriff’s Office can also be directed to (973) 285-6600 during the day and (973) 285-2900 after hours for verification of agency personnel.
Crime Prevention Tips to Help Avoid Falling Victim to this Scam:
- Legitimate law enforcement agencies will not tell people to provide money card information to avoid arrest.
- Be suspicious of callers who demand immediate payment for any reason.
- Never give out personal or financial information to anyone who emails or calls you unsolicited.
- Never wire money, provide debt or credit card numbers or Green Dot Money Pak card numbers to someone you do not know.
- Remember that anyone who has the number on a Green Dot Money Pak card, has access to the funds on the card.
- If you have received a phone scam call, try to gather names, the phone number and location given, and report it to your local police.
Report tips and remain anonymous by contacting The Morris County Sheriff’s CrimeStoppers at (973) COP-CALL or www.copcall.org from your mobile device. NO ONE WILL ASK YOUR NAME!
