Don’t fall for these ‘official’ scams that are tricking people across New Jersey

🚨 Police in two NJ counties are warning residents about separate scams targeting homeowners and workers with fake utility visits and bogus jury duty calls.
🏠 An elderly Nutley resident lost a large amount of cash after a man posing as a utility worker gained access to her home.
📞 Monmouth County officials say scammers are falsely claiming people missed jury duty and demanding immediate payment to avoid arrest.

There are a couple of scams happening in two New Jersey counties, and police want residents to be aware of them.

Fake utility worker scam targets elderly Nutley resident

In Essex County, police in Nutley said an elderly resident was the victim of a utility scam.

They said the suspect went to the resident’s door, pretended to be “with gas and electric supply,” and said he needed to check her home for a possible gas leak.

The man was allowed into the home and proceeded to go through every room, which took about 10 minutes, police said. After the suspect left, the resident noticed a large amount of cash was missing from her wallet.

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Nutley police have released a photo of the man they say scammed an elderly resident out of large amounts of cash by pretending to be a utility worker (Nutley PD via Facebook)

Anyone who sees this man or knows who he may be is asked to contact the Nutley Police Department at 973-284-4940.

“We would like to warn residents that this a common scam where the suspects are able to gain confidence posing as employees of utility companies. Remember to always ask for and check the utility representative’s photo identification card before admitting the person onto your premises,” Nutley police wrote on its Facebook page.

If a resident is suspicious of the person’s credentials or the reason for an unscheduled visit, don’t hesitate to call the police for help. It’s also a good idea to call the utility company directly to ask if they sent a rep to your home.

A scam about missing jury duty and paying a fine is going around Monmouth County, the sheriff warns (MCSO via Facebook/Canva)

Monmouth County warns of fake jury duty phone scam

In Monmouth County, Sheriff Shaun Golden has issued a warning about an ongoing telephone scam targeting residents.

Authorities have received reports that bad actors are calling people at their workplaces, and falsely identifying themselves as members of the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Department.

They are telling the individual they failed to report to jury duty and now need to immediately pay a fine to avoid arrest, Golden said.

How to avoid New Jersey utility and jury duty scams

No member of the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office will ever call anyone or notify them that they failed to report for jury duty, demand payment over the phone, or claim there is an arrest warrant that can be resolved with immediate payment, Golden made clear.

If anyone receives a call like this, they should hang up the phone immediately, do no not provide personal or financial information, and never send money or purchase gift cards or cryptocurrency to satisfy a caller’s demands.

Anyone who believes they’ve been targeted by this scam should contact the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office at 732-431-6400.

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