Residents targeted by scam email with fake arrest warrant, Montgomery County DA warns
NORRISTOWN, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Authorities in Montgomery County, Pa. are warning residents of an email scam with messages falsely claiming to be from the sheriff's department.
In the email, the recipient is told there has been a warrant issued for their arrest for failing to appear in court.
According to the district attorney's office, the scam email tells the recipient to put money into a "digital escrow" via a Coinstar Bitcoin terminal to avoid being arrested.
The scam email says it's coming from the "FDIC GOVERNMENT OFFICE WARRANT DIVISION" with a subject line of "MONTGOMERY COUNTY SHERIFF OFFICE *FALSE CLAIMS DIVISION.*"
The emails also have documents attached that include a fake arrest warrant and even a fake FDIC brochure that claims you can make payments to the county using a Coinstar Bitcoin terminal.
District Attorney Kevin Steele said in a statement that arrest warrants are never handled this way, and no money is involved if there is a warrant issued for someone's failure to appear in court for any reason.
"Bitcoin is not a currency accepted by Montgomery County courts or any other entity associated with our criminal justice system," Steele said.
A warrant for a failure to appear is handled in a courtroom in front of a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas.
"These scams are particularly harmful because they prey on the public's trust in law enforcement in general and our office in particular," said Sheriff Sean Kilkenny.
The district attorney released examples of the attachments included with the scam emails:
-Fake show cause order document
-Fake civil engagement process document
-Fake preemptive bail procedure document
If you are worried whether an email is legitimate, you can call the main Montgomery County Courthouse phone number of 610-278-3000 and ask for the Sheriff's Department.
Calling the courthouse's main number, and then being transferred to the Sheriff's Department, will avoid any issue of spoofed phone numbers, the district attorney's office said.
Anyone who has been a victim of one of these scam emails by sending money to the fraudster is asked to contact the Montgomery County Detective Bureau at 610-278-3368.
