Scammers posing as federal agents or local law enforcement are contacting local residents and are presenting them with fake arrest warrants. It’s called the warrant scam, and the only way scammers say you can settle the warrant is by paying up front in the form of cash, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or peer-to-peer payment (P2P).
According to our Fraud Team, to add legitimacy scammers will list a specific crime committed. In two recent incidents, New Hampshire residents were told an arrest warrant was issued for failure to show up for jury duty, and both times the scammers posed as a member of the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Department. It’s been reported that one person lost a significant amount of money due to this scam.
It’s important to keep in mind that law enforcement will not resolve an arrest warrant by paying a fine, especially through cryptocurrency or gift cards. If you receive a call like this, hang up and call the police department the caller claimed to be from. However, to ensure you remove yourself from the possible scam, call the number listed on the department’s official website to confirm no crime was committed and report the incident.
If you are a Merrimack customer and are concerned your personal or financial information was compromised, please call us directly at 603.225.2793.