The Bergen County Sheriff\u2019s Office is warning of an ongoing scam in which people are impersonating law enforcement agencies, including the Sheriff\u2019s Office, to steal money, with losses reaching $52,000.<\/p>\n
Bergen County Sheriff Anthony Curitton said, \u201cDozens of people have recently fallen victim to scam phone calls impersonating law enforcement agencies, including the Sheriff\u2019s Office. The losses they\u2019ve suffered amount to $52,000.\u201d According to Sheriff Curryton, there has been an increase in scams in which people impersonate law enforcement and call people to threaten arrest if they don\u2019t pay money.<\/p>\n
The scammers claim that they have a warrant out for a person who has missed jury duty or has unpaid fines, and they threaten arrest if they don\u2019t pay. They then try to get people to send money using a method that is difficult to trace, such as a prepaid card or cryptocurrency.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, the scammers are using sophisticated methods, such as using phone numbers that appear to be law enforcement numbers or sending fake court documents and warrants via email.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe scammers are easily fooled because they are impersonating current and retired police officers,\u201d Sheriff Curryton said. \u201cThe scammers are targeting both older and younger people.\u201d Sheriff Curryton said, \u201cLaw enforcement does not ask for money over the phone. They never call and threaten to arrest you,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you receive a scam call like this, do not give out your personal or financial information and hang up immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"