Authorities are cautioning residents in South Jersey about phone scams after at least one person lost more than $5,000 and a business was tricked out of $1,000.
According to Camden County Prosecutors, at least two separate scams have been targetting residents.
In one scheme, authorities say the scammers disguise their phone numbers to make it appear as the digits for the Camden County Sheriff’s Office.
Those calling would tell residents they owe money to the IRS, instructing them to call back to a number with a Washington D.C. area code (202) and to deposit money into a Bank of America account.
A 44-year-old Linden woman who received a call on Oct. 5 ended up paying $5,100 to the perpetrators of the scheme, according to NJ.com.
The woman told police she made several payments that were less than $1,000, which would make them less suspicious to sales clerks, and that the people she spoke to threatened her with deportation.
In another scam, authorities say callers have been reaching out to businesses claiming they are representatives of the energy company PSE&G and to pay them for utilities using a Green Dot prepaid debit card.
At least one business paid the schemers $1000.
Ocean County Prosecutors have also reported instances of recent scams.
They say county residents are being targeted and being told they owe money to the prosecutor's office to prevent them from being arrested, typically calling from the following number: 888-609-1428.
Officials are asking the public to be wary of these scams and contact authorities if they believe they have been targeted.