Phone scammers are getting bold by impersonating Bucks County Sheriff’s Office officials

Bucks County officials are warning the public to be wary of phone scammers who have been impersonating members of the Sheriff’s Office and calling people to say they owe fines or fees and threatening jail time for those who don’t pay.

Some of the callers have demanded thousands of dollars, officials say.

People pretending to be representatives of the Bucks County Sheriff’s Office have been calling area residents and telling them they owe and must pay hefty fines or face jail time, county officials said.

One man, they said, was told that he had failed to respond to a summons for jury duty and that a bench warrant had been issued for his arrest. Authorities said the caller told the man that, to avoid arrest, he would have to pay a $2,500 fine.

In some cases, the callers ask for personal financial information in demanding payment or ask for gift cards in lieu of cash, officials said.

The callers identify themselves using the names of actual sheriff’s deputies, and they call from a number that appears on caller ID as the Bucks County Sheriff’s Office. Through “caller ID spoofing,” officials say, the calls appear to come from the department’s legitimate phone number.

Bucks County officials say deputies or others in the Sheriff’s Office would never call to ask people for money or payments to reloadable gift cards. Any such calls, they said, should be viewed as a scam, and they urged people to immediately hang up and notify law enforcement.

Suspicious calls may be reported to FTC.gov and FCC.gov.

Bucks County officials advised residents never to give out personal or financial information over the phone. And they said demands for payment made with a sense of urgency are a warning sign that the call is a scam.