Picture this: you’re at your desk, an unfamiliar call comes through, and the person on the other end says they’re from the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office. They tell you that you missed jury duty, and unless you pay a fine right now, there’s a warrant coming. That’s exactly the call Sheriff Shaun Golden is warning residents about this week.
According to Golden, the Sheriff’s Office has received multiple reports of scammers calling people directly at their workplaces, falsely identifying themselves as MCSO representatives before demanding immediate payment to avoid arrest. It’s a version of a scam that’s circulated in different forms for years, but this latest wave is notable for specifically targeting people while they’re on the job, catching them off guard between meetings or in the middle of a shift, when there’s less time to stop and think it through.
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No real deputy will ever ask for this
Golden was direct about it: no member of the Sheriff’s Office will ever call to say someone missed jury duty, demand payment over the phone, or claim a warrant can be resolved with an immediate payment. If a call like that comes in, MCSO recommends hanging up immediately, never providing personal or financial information, and never sending money, gift cards, or cryptocurrency to satisfy the demand.
“When it comes to scams, trust your instincts,” Golden said. “If something doesn’t seem right, it probably isn’t.”
That instinct is worth trusting every time, even when a caller sounds official, uses real department language, or seems to already know personal details. Scammers rely on urgency and fear to short-circuit that hesitation, which is exactly why hanging up first and verifying second is the safer instinct to lean on.
Anyone who believes they’ve been targeted can contact the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office directly at 732-431-6400.
Ignore these calls, NJ! Area codes you should never pick up
While dodging scam calls can feel a bit like playing “Wack a mole” on the boardwalk, there are some area codes that are giant red flags, as collected by the Better Business Bureau and socialcatfish.com:
Gallery Credit: Erin Vogt
