The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office and Morris County Sheriff’s Office are advising the community to be aware of an ongoing scam targeting residents of Morris County – criminals posing as law enforcement, aggressively seeking fines for alleged non-appearances for jury duty.
Morris County officials have received two reports of similar scams in the last two weeks, in which fraudsters call victims claiming a warrant has been issued for their arrest after failing to appear for jury duty. The scammers may impersonate police officers, providing titles and badge numbers.
Criminals may use actual Morris County officers’ names and manipulate the victim’s caller I.D. to appear to be coming from the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, the Morris County Sheriff’s Office, or the Morris County Courthouse. They will often ask the victim not to contact anyone and indicate the matter needs to be confidential or else they will be arrested.
To report any suspicious calls you receive regarding alleged non-appearance for jury duty, contact the Morris County Sheriff’s Office at 973-285-6600 during the day and 973-285-2900 after hours for verification of agency personnel.
Prevention Tips to Help Avoid Falling Victim to this Scam:
- Legitimate law enforcement agencies will not tell you to provide money card information or wire money, or ask for cryptocurrency, to avoid arrest.
- Be suspicious of callers or texts who demand immediate payment and/or “fines” for any reason.