Washington Township Police Warn Of Scam

LONG VALLEY, NJ - There is an organized elder scam being facilitated throughout New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania and it is hitting close to home, according to the Washington Township Police Department.

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Numerous towns throughout the area have been hit including Roxbury and Hackettstown. police noted. According to the police:

The caller contacts an elderly person by phone and states their grandchild has either been arrested and needs bail or that the caller is their grandchild and has a serious problem that they need money immediately.

The scam itself isn’t new but what has changed is people are now coming to the victims residence and picking up the money.

"Please use caution and if anyone suspicious comes to your residence, call 911 immediately and we will respond," authorities said. "If you get a suspicious phone call regarding something similar, please call the non-emergency number, or complete the online reporting form, and an officer will call you to take a report."

Police also said to ensure all vehicles are locked up, and valuables are taken inside.

"These crimes have not stopped, from theft of items from vehicles to theft of the vehicles themselves. We need your assistance in stopping this," police said. "Traffic is very light right now, so if you see anything suspicious or suspicious vehicles at night, please call so that we can investigate. The harder we are on people attempting to commit crimes in town, the less likely they will be to come back."

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