River Edge Police Detective Bureau – Information on Scams

Utility Scam– People are receiving phone calls from someone purporting to be with PSE&G and telling them to respond to 7-Eleven to pay an overdue bill. The fake representative messages a    bar code and tells the victim to scan the code at the store and then deposit the cash. Once the money is deposited the victim cannot get the money back.  HANG UP AND CALL THE NUMBER ON YOUR UTILITY BILL TO CONFIRM ANY DEBT YOU ARE TOLD YOU OWE.

Spoofing Scam-This is when a phone number comes up on your caller ID that you believe to be legitimate, when in fact it has been hijacked and used to deceive the person receiving the call. Recently the River Edge Police Department’s non- emergency number, 201-262-1233,  and the Bergen County Sheriff’s number, 201-336-3500, were spoofed, with several residents receiving phone calls saying there was a warrant for their arrest for money laundering, unpaid taxes and/or utility bills.

Mail Box Phishing– The Post Office recently upgraded their mailboxes, but they are still not the safest way to send mail and are subject to tampering. Recently, several residents had their mail phished out of a mailbox. Checks that were mailed were “washed”, with a new payee name, and the payment amount increased substantially. You are encouraged to hand deliver all your mail to the post office to make it as safe as possible.

Grandparent Scam-Elderly residents receiving a phone call saying that their grandchild was arrested, and he/she needs bail money posted either electronically, or paying an individual that comes to the house. HANG UP AND CALL THE POLICE AT 201-262-1233.

REMEMBER- Strangers calling looking for money for any reason are not legitimate.  HANG UP AND CALL THE POLICE AT 201-262-1233.