Sheriff: Spoofing Phone Attack is Active in Rockingham County

BRENTWOOD, NH — The Rockingham County Sheriff’s Department has issued an alert to all residents of the county to be aware of “spoofing attack” calls coming from a New York exchange, requesting money and pretending to be sheriffs.

Sheriff Michael Hureau warned residents about the scam on July 27, 2016, stating that they should be careful with their personal information.

“We have recently received a call from a county resident reporting that they needed to contact an officer at a (516) 883-1495,” he said. “The caller ID on the answering machine showed a telephone number that is ours at the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office. This is a spoofing attack to scare victims to release money to these criminals over the telephone by mimicking an actual official telephone number.”

Hureau stated that the threat requests money to keep a person out of jail. If they fail to comply, according to the spoof, it would result in arrest. But the threat is fake and residents need to be aware of the scam.

“The Sheriff’s Office will not request money to be delivered to accounts in the jail, nor do we request money be given to a deputy in lieu of arrest,” he said. “If a person is arrested and bail has been set by the court, a deputy may advise a person over the telephone of their bail which will be processed by a bail commissioner who is not a member of the Sheriff’s Office. This process will take place at the Sheriff’s Office, the Rockingham County Jail, or a local police department. Deputies will not accept money in lieu of an arrest. Deputies will not ask for money cards or funds to be transferred to accounts.”

Hureau said the scams can be very complex and when his department called the number back, it included the sheriff's office recorded telephone directory. One simple way of averting the scam is to always perform an Internet search a phone number that you don’t recognize and see if the number is listed as a scam warning.

If you are contacted by someone requesting money from the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office, call 603-679-2225 or your local police department.