Nutley Police: 5 Ongoing Frauds, Scams To Be Aware Of

NUTLEY, NJ — Cases of fraud and scams continue to be reported in Nutley, authorities said.

As part of its weekly blotter, the Nutley Police Department released warnings on Monday about several ongoing scams that have been reported in the township.

They included:

FAKE AMAZON NUMBER - “Some of our identity theft/fraud victims have stated that they contacted Amazon via a customer service number found on Google. However, the internet number my direct you to a fictitious website. Do not google the contact number for Amazon … It is a fake number. Many victims of fraud have been caused by this fake customer service number.”

UNEMPLOYMENT FRAUD – “Multiple township residents have reported claims made in their name through the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development of Unemployment Insurance which are fraudulent due to the victims still being employed. In all instances, the victims reported the fraudulent claims to the Unemployment Office and saw no other unauthorized activity on their personal.”

SENDING MONEY - “Important information regarding electronic money transfers – most financial institutions do not refund/protect money sent via Zelle, Venmo, etc. between private parties. Be cautious when asked to send money using those applications.”

HIRING SCAM - “When hired for a job through online means – do not attempt to cash/deposit checks sent to you with the purpose to purchase office equipment/supplies – the checks are coming back fraudulent ultimately after the victim (hired employee) has already used the funds.”

PHONE SCAM - “Phone scam warning to residents: reports have been received of calls claiming the victim’s social security numbers are suspended due to fraudulent activity. Do not give out personal information or identifiers to these callers.”

Anyone who has information regarding crimes can send a (non-emergent) tip anonymously by texting “CRIMES” starting message with “NPDTIP,” log into www.tipsoft.com and search Nutley, or email detectives at Nutleydetectives@NutleyPD.com.

Sign up for Patch email newsletters. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Keep updated with local public safety alerts at the Patch Belleville-Nutley Facebook page. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com