Scammers Are Impersonating Police In Nutley: What To Know

NUTLEY, NJ — The Nutley Police Department recently warned residents about two different scams that took place in the township – each involving police impersonators.

"The actors in these incidents will identify themselves as being from a local police or sheriff's department, and they may even use the name of actual law enforcement officers," Nutley police announced Friday.

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There have also been instances where they changed the name displayed on their caller ID, so they appear to be calling from a local law enforcement agency, police said.

Neither of the parties identified on the calls in these two incidents were actual law enforcement officers, authorities said.

Other similar scams have been reported in Nutley recently, police said.

"It's important to understand that law enforcement will not call you to demand that you pay a fine over the phone and threaten to arrest you if you don't agree to make a payment," the NPD said. "This includes requests to pay with cash, credit cards, gift cards, payment apps, Bitcoin, cryptocurrency or wire transfers."

"If you receive a text message from an individual identifying themselves as law enforcement with a message to call them back about an urgent court or law enforcement matter, do not call the number they provide in the message," authorities said. "Look up the police department's official number yourself, and then call them directly."

Here's what to know about each scam, police said:

ILLICIT WEBSITES, POLICE SPOOFING

According to the NPD, the first scheme involved a scammer who sent a text message to their victim, alleging that they subscribed to an "illicit website." The scammers told their victim to call them back at a number provided in the message.

Here's what happened next, police say:

"When the resident called the number, they were provided with a different number to contact the 'Federal Trade Commission.' When the resident called the number, they were advised it was illegal to subscribe to illicit websites and could be arrested for doing so. The caller then told the resident they had been implicated in money laundering and explained the resident's name was used in multiple banks in multiple locations. They advised the resident that they would need to transfer a large sum of money to the Treasury Department and provided bank account information to complete the transfer. Shortly thereafter the resident received a phone call from another party who spoofed the Nutley Police Department's phone number and identified himself as Nutley police officer 'John Morris.' He told the resident the Treasury Department put him in contact with them because of the illicit websites and money laundering. He instructed the resident to follow the Treasury Department's instructions to avoid being arrested."

COP IMPERSONATOR

The second scam involved a party calling a Nutley resident and identifying himself as "Capt. David Gilbert" with the Essex County Sheriff's Office, police said.

According to the NPD, the scammer advised the victim that there were two bench warrants for their arrest, and explained they were tracking the resident and not to disconnect the call.

"Capt. Gilbert" then instructed the victim to get a sum of cash and bring it to an address in Newark where they could post bail.

The resident was told their signature would be compared to the one that was on file and if the two matched their money would be returned or they would be given a new court date, police said.

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