- The Lehigh County Sheriff’s Office has issued a warning about a resurgence of telephone scams in Lehigh County and surrounding areas, with scammers posing as law enforcement officials
- Scammers are falsely identifying themselves as Deputies, Detectives or members of the Lehigh County Sheriff's Office and are using various schemes to exploit unsuspecting residents
- Residents are urged to exercise extreme caution and avoid sharing personal information like Social Security numbers, credit card details or home addresses over the phone
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The Lehigh County Sheriff’s Office has issued an alert addressing the resurgence of telephone scams plaguing Lehigh County and the surrounding areas.
According to County Sheriff Joseph N. Hanna, residents have reported receiving suspicious phone calls, where the callers falsely identify themselves as Deputies, Detectives, or members of the Lehigh County Sheriff's Office.
These scammers are employing various confidence schemes to exploit unsuspecting citizens, Hanna said in a news release.
"We've been getting phone calls," Hanna said in a phone interview. "This is pervasive. We're experiencing another uptick."
Hanna also stressed that the sheriff's office never solicits money for purported fines, court appearances or jury duty over telephone conversations, and the public should exercise extreme caution when it comes to divulging personal information over the phone.
This includes sensitive details such as Social Security numbers, credit or debit card information, bank account numbers, account balances, and other financial particulars.
Additionally, Hanna urged citizens not to comply with requests for specific locations made by individuals over the phone without verifying the request's legitimacy through law enforcement channels. He also cautioned against sharing home addresses or residential information with unknown callers.
"We've had incidents occur where people have been scammed that had been in their 20s and their 30s."Lehigh County Sheriff Joseph N. Hanna
When asked about the most vulnerable demographic to the scams, Hanna says he considers the elderly easy targets of the crime.
"I would say probably anybody over 55 But that is not hard and steadfast," he said. "We've had incidents occur where people have been scammed that had been in their 20s and their 30s."
This month, the Pa. attorney general's office worked with the Pa. State Police to combat scams targeting seniors.
Charges and arrests have been made in two scams involving three alleged scammers from New York, according to Attorney General Michelle Henry.
“These alleged scammers acted with deliberate intent to defraud their victims of significant amounts of money without consideration of the resulting financial distress,” Henry said in a news release. “My office encourages friends and family to discuss potential risks with their loved ones.”
Citizens are encouraged to take proactive measures to verify the origin and identity of any caller. The public can reach out to the Lehigh County Sheriff's Office directly during business hours at 610-782-3175.
If suspicious, citizens can also contact their local police or the attorney general's hotline at 800-441-2555.
