Phone scam claiming to be Northampton Sheriff reported

Scammers are reportedly making phone calls to locals claiming to be Northampton Sheriff David Doughty and asking for money or personal information.

Recently, several Northampton County residents have received calls from what appears to be the Sheriff’s Office number who are advised that they failed to report for a federal court summons and therefore need to pay a bond to avoid being arrested.

The Sheriff’s office is being “spoofed,” which is when a caller deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their idenity. Some of the called have reportedly threated arrest if payment is not made over the phone.

Sheriff David L. Doughty, Jr. would like to remind residents that Northampton County Sheriff’s Office will not be calling to request bond payments or your personal information over the phone. No law enforcement office will call you to collect money over the phone for failing to appear or to avoid arrest.If you recieve such a call, hang up immediately.

If you receive a call from someone and you want to make sure it is legitimate, hang up and call back a publicly published number or the number on your statements. Do not provide your personal or financial information over the phone. To learn more about this and other scams, visit the Federal Trade Commission website at www.ftc.gov.

Sheriff Doughty urges residents to be cautious with phone calls of people asking for money or personal information. If you believe you’ve been a victim, contact Northampton County Sheriff’s Office at 757-678-0458.