NJ cops in this county say too many residents getting scammed

📞 Phone scammers are targeting NJ residents in a South Jersey county

📞 They are pretending to be law enforcement looking for money

📞 Tips are provided on how to deal with these phone scams

CAPE MAY — Scammers are targeting New Jersey residents again with calls claiming to be law enforcement, attempting to get money from them.

It’s a common scam, and the calls are excessive in Cape May County.

According to the prosecutor’s office, these phone scams involve calls from bad actors pretending to be members of law enforcement like the Drug Enforcement Administration or the County Sheriff’s Department claiming that there is a warrant out for a person’s arrest.

That person must provide them with cash to avoid going to jail.

Other calls involve the scammer saying an individual missed a jury duty notice and has amassed fines that require the intended target to pay cash to avoid being arrested, the prosecutor’s office and the sheriff’s department collectively said.

Make no mistake. These calls are phone scams attempting to defraud residents out of money and are not legitimate.

If anyone receives a call like this, immediately contact the local police department and report the incident along with the phone number the call came from. Do not agree to meet the caller and give them cash, said Cape May County Prosecutor, Jeffrey H. Sutherland.

Law enforcement authorities will never reach out to anyone via telephone demanding payment for warrants or any other cause, he added.

The Federal Communications Commission monitors these scam calls and shares a website for reporting these incidents.

Tips on dealing with scam phone calls:

🔴Don't answer calls from unknown numbers. If you answer such a call, hang up immediately

🔴If you answer the phone and the caller or a recording asks you to hit a button to stop getting the calls, hang up. Scammers often use this trick to identify potential targets.

🔴Do not respond to any questions, especially those that can be answered with “yes” or “no.”

🔴Never give out personal information, account numbers, Social Security numbers, passwords, or any other identifying information in response to unexpected calls.

🔴If you get an inquiry from someone who says they represent a company or a government agency, hang up, and call the number on your account statement or the company or government agency website to verify the authenticity of the request. You will usually get a written statement in the mail before receiving a phone call from a legitimate source.

🔴Use caution if you’re being pressured for information immediately.

🔴If you have a voice mail account with your phone service, set a password for it.

If any resident is in doubt whether a phone call is legitimate or not, feel free to contact their local police department or the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office for assistance.

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