NORRISTOWN, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — You may want to think twice before you answer an unknown number. Officials in Montgomery County say scammers are calling people and pretending to be a deputy sheriff.
According to the Montgomery County District Attorney’s office, the fraudsters use call spoofing technology that makes it look like they're calling from the 610 area code.
Once they get you on the phone, they claim you owe the sheriff's office money for things like fines, a missed jury duty or other court-related violations. The red flag? They say you can use payment methods such as gift cards, money transfers, or cryptocurrency.
County officials said they, nor any legitimate law enforcement agency, would never request those forms of payment.
Officials also noted that money would not be requested if someone failed to appear in court for jury duty or any other reason.
“A failure to appear warrant must be handled in a courtroom in front of a Court of Common Pleas Judge,” said District Attorney Kevin R. Steele.
Anyone who has received one of these calls is urged to document the date, time and phone number that appeared on the caller ID, and contact Montgomery County Detectives at 610-278-3368.