DA Warns of Fresh Round of Scam Calls

The office of Northampton County District Attorney Stephen Baratta has issued a warning about a new round of scam phone calls some residents have recently reported receiving.

Although the callers identify themselves as representatives of the Northampton County Sheriff’s Department, Baratta’s office said they are in fact would-be crooks.

“These scammers are apparently located outside the United States and can hide their identity using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and Proxy Servers, as well as encrypted communication platforms,” a Jan. 14 news release said. “Further, these scammers have been successful in creating a fake website for the Northampton County Sheriff’s Department, which includes what appears to be a local phone number for the Sheriff’s department, which is manned by the scammers.”

The office said two numbers that have been linked to the recent scam phone calls are 610-488-2855 and 610-829-5601.

Baratta’s office said victims of the scammers have been tricked into believing that they need to make payments to avoid arrest for criminal warrants or bench warrants for failure to appear for jury duty.

“The victims are told that the Sheriff’s Office will come to arrest them unless they immediately pay off fines or post bail via crypto-currency,” the release said. “The victims are then directed to bring cash to a local Bitcoin or other crypto-currency ATM, usually found at local convenience stores or other retail business locations.”

Baratta noted that “the Northampton County Sheriff’s Department and the Court system do not accept crypto-currency.” The sheriff’s office also does not collect fines in criminal cases or accept payment for individuals who wish to post bail.

“Should anyone be contacted by ‘law enforcement’ about the existence of an alleged outstanding warrant for arrest with a demand for immediate cash or crypto-currency payment to avoid incarceration, it is a scam,” the release said.