Costly Phone Scam Sweeping Morris County, Cops Warn

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — Morris County residents are being warned about an ongoing jury duty scam in which callers impersonating law enforcement officers threaten people with arrest and demand money, authorities said.

The Morris County Sheriff’s Office said scammers are telling residents they have an active arrest warrant for allegedly failing to appear for jury duty.

The scheme can appear especially convincing because scammers are using caller ID spoofing technology that makes calls appear to come from the Sheriff’s Office’s legitimate phone number, 973-285-6610, officials said.

Callers typically identify themselves as law enforcement officers and tell victims a warrant has been issued for their arrest. They may pressure victims to stay on the phone and discourage them from contacting relatives, attorneys or police — preventing them from independently checking whether the claim is legitimate.

In some cases, scammers also send fake arrest warrants or other paperwork containing official-looking court information, seals and signatures, according to the officials.

Authorities said that legitimate law enforcement agencies will not demand payment over the phone to prevent an arrest or resolve an arrest warrant. The Morris County Sheriff’s Office also will not instruct residents to send money using Bitcoin kiosks, gift cards, wire transfers or similar payment methods.

Officials cautioned residents not to trust a phone number simply because it appears legitimate on caller ID, which can be manipulated.

Anyone who receives a suspicious call should hang up immediately and avoid providing personal or banking information or sending money, authorities said.

Residents who are unsure whether a call is legitimate should independently find a trusted, official phone number for the Morris County Sheriff’s Office and contact the agency directly rather than calling a number provided by the caller or relying on caller ID.

Anyone who believes they were targeted by the scam or suffered a financial loss is encouraged to report it to the Morris County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities are also asking residents to share the warning with relatives, friends, and neighbors, particularly older adults who are frequently targeted by scams.