Somerset County, NJ sees spike in scams

⚫Somerset County sees spike in scams

⚫Jury duty scams, tax scams

⚫How to spot red flags

SOMERVILLE — You might want to think twice before sharing any personal information, especially if residing in Somerset County.

Somerset County Sheriff Derrin Russo and the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office are warning of a recent increase in the number of mail and phone scams affecting residents.

The scammers are using distraint warrant tax scams and jury duty scams that appear legitimate at a first glance, according to the public safety message from officials.

The tax scam comes through U.S. Mail and mentions to call a number to clear up an “unpaid tax debt.” With the jury duty scam, a so-called “jury duty manager” calls to inform the person of a missed jury duty commitment and mentions there’s a fine or arrest as a result. The “manager” may ask for bank account information or the person’s social security number.

Data from 2023 from the Federal Trade Commission said imposter scams led to $2.7 billion being lost around the nation.

To prevent one more person from being a victim, below is some information from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office about how to spot those red flags.

Distraint warrant tax scam

• Instead of calling the provided number, call the county’s tax department to confirm the issue
• Somerset County doesn’t have a “Tax Processing Unit,” “Tax Group Seizure Unit” or “Tax Assessment Security Unit”
• Confirm if a notice is legitimate before disclosing personal information
• The county would never ask you to pay via gift card, Zelle, CashApp or any other application
• The word “distraint” will not be used by the New Jersey Division of Taxation
• New Jersey Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights will come with a legitimate document

Jury duty scam

• Phone call, e-mail and/or home visit will not happen through New Jersey Judiciary
• Jurors will not receive follow-up calls or be sent emails from New Jersey Judiciary
• Fines, personal information will never be asked via email or phone

Who to contact

The Somerset County Tax Board should be contacted if a resident is uncertain of the legitimacy of a tax document. The board’s number is 908-541-7501.

If someone believes they are on the receiving end of a jury duty scam, hang up the call and contact the Somerset County Jury Manager at 908-332-7700 ext. 13025 or send an email to somjurymbx@njcourts.gov.

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