Blair County Sheriff’s Office warns of ‘spoofed’ scam calls

BLAIR COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — Residents in Blair County are being warned of a new spoofed scam call after the sheriff’s office received multiple reports.

The reports involved a male caller who identifies himself as a Deputy of the Blair County Sheriff’s Office. The caller claims the victim missed jury duty, missed witness or outstanding warrant appearance resulting in an arrest warrant for the recipient.

The caller also advises that the victim had signed for a notice, then threatens a criminal charge of forgery on top of the original alleged charge. The caller gives the victim instructions on how to handle the warrant by paying a dollar amount that could resolve it.

The sheriff’s office said the caller uses a smartphone application that disguises their phone number to show as if the sheriff’s office phone number is calling. They added the agency will never call and present an option to settle an outstanding warrant and will never make any monetary arrangements via phone.

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Anyone who receives this scam call is asked to report it to your local police department to determine if the call is legitimate. Residents are also reminded to never give personal information or account information to anyone over the phone.

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