Delaware’s Justice of the Peace court warns of a phone scam that could con people out of hundreds of dollars.
The scam is a pretty simple one, using a number that appears to be from the Justice of the Peace Court, the scammer says your loved one is jail and needs $500 in bail money to secure their release.
Scammers pressure people into quickly giving their credit card numbers.
"In some of the cases they’re actually pretending to be a grandson or a son and starting the call with 'Grandmom, I need help,'” Court Operations Manager Mark Hitch said.
Law enforcement would not ask for credit card info over the phone without verification, he said, and in the event of a questionable call the best thing to do is hang up and call the court.
Kent County Levy Court is reporting similar scam calls.
Last summer, phone scammers posing as IRS agents used similar tactics to con Delawareans out of thousands of dollars.
