The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office would like to warn residents of a scam where the offender emails a fake warrant from the Bucks County Sheriff’s Office and threatens the recipient with arrest if they do not pay a fee.

An out-of-state resident recently received an email that includes an attachment of an arrest warrant, which says they are wanted for being in contempt of court. The warrant (attached) was made to appear official with the signature of a Bucks County Common Pleas Judge.  

In the email, the scammer provides a spoofed phone number to the recipient, which they are told they must call, so they can pay a fee and clear the warrant. Spoofing is when a caller deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their identity.

The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office wants to remind the public that the Sheriff’s Office and the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas would never ask for payment in this fashion or email a warrant.

In addition:

• People should never send money or provide access to your bank or credit card in response to threatening emails (or phone calls) you may receive claiming that you owe a debt.
• Whenever getting this type of notice, people should do an online search of the agency themselves and contact the correct agency to verify that they do not owe any money.
• People should never give any personal information, such as social security number, credit card, or bank account information to any individual, website, or company without first verifying their identity.

If you have received a similar email, do not respond, and contact your local police department to report the incident.