Full Notification

Government impersonation scams have been prevalent in Middlesex County. Fraud is constantly evolving with the advent of cryptocurrency and payment applications. Scammers often utilize a phone call but also use email, text messages, social media messages or U.S. mail to pretend to be an agency or organization to gain your trust.

To protect yourself and others from these scams, consider the following:

• Federal, State, and Local law enforcement will NEVER ask for payments
• Government Entities will NEVER ask for payments over the phone and will not send individuals to your house to collect money.
• You will NEVER be told NOT to tell family and/or law enforcement – If you are being told to stay on the phone and not tell anyone END THE CALL.
• Never provide money to strangers – DO NOT provide cash, gift cards, gold bars or cryptocurrency payments.
• Avoid Sharing Information – DO NOT provide your personal information, driver’s license number, social security number or bank account information.
• End the Call – Scammers can spoof the number of a law enforcement agency. Obtain the caller’s name and end the call. Then call back the agency to verify the legitimacy of the phone call.
• Call 911 – If someone is at your residence and requires cash payment, or you are told not to call local police or family members, CALL 911.
• Block any phone numbers and send emails to junk for any suspected fraud attempts.

ARREST WARRANT SCAM

Scammers are emailing and texting pictures of real and doctored law enforcement credentials and badges in an attempt to ‘prove’ they are legitimate to scam you out of money. They will threaten an arrest, fines, or other penalties to scare you into immediate action. The scammer may also provide you a code or password to provide to the impersonating ‘law enforcement agent’ or courier that will arrive at your residence. Versions of this scam include but are not limited to:

• A package that was seized with your name on it and they need your driver’s license and money to fix the issue.
• An investigation into failure to show up to a criminal case regarding a jury summons which led to an arrest warrant being issued in your name.
• CSAM (child sexual abuse material) was located in your email or computer and payment will resolve this matter.
• Payments from your bank account have been linked to narcotics sales in other countries and you need to pay fines to the government to avoid further issues.
• Overdue/outstanding EZ Pass payments that need to be collected

JURY DUTY SCAM

Residents have received a phone call from individuals impersonating the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office in a Jury Duty Scam. The impersonators advised that the residents were issued a subpoena for court and failed to appear. The impersonators told the residents that there were active arrest warrants for failure to appear and even provided fraudulent warrant numbers. The residents were told they could pay the fines for the arrest warrants to avoid arrest.

Courts and government agencies will NEVER ask for payment over the phone. Courts NEVER ask potential jurors for personal identifying information like your social security number.

SURROGATE’S OFFICE AND PROBATE COURT SCAM

Residents have who have had recent real estate matters have received calls from individuals impersonating the Middlesex County Surrogate’s Office and/or Probate Court. The impersonators have advised there has been an issue with their application and require additional fees and payments. The impersonators have also posed as attorneys, debt collectors and estate service providers who demand immediate payment with fraudulent fees. They will threaten legal action or frozen assets.

Contact the Surrogate’s Office directly at 732-745-3055, not the phone number the impersonator provides you. Consult estate attorneys before making payments.

Please call 9-1-1 or your local police department if you believe you are being victimized. You can also report scams to the Better Business Bureau https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker/reportscam or to the Federal Trade Commission https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/ , the FBI Internet Crime Center (IC3) https://www.ic3.gov . Please visit https://www.middlesexcountynj.gov/find-programs- and-resources/community-resources/be-a-hero-against-fraud for other resources.