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Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis issued a warning Tuesday about a phone scam that involves spoofing to falsely make it appear the call is originating from the county courthouse main telephone line: 570-825-1500.

Salavantis said her office has received reports from people who received the scam call both in this county and throughout the country.

The scammers are demanding payment for the call recipients to avoid being arrested on outstanding arrest warrants, she said.

“People fall for it, and that’s what I’m nervous about,” Salavantis said Tuesday.

According to her release:

“Under no circumstances” would law enforcement call people charged with a crime.

“The law has very specific requirements for the court system to notify would-be defendants via mail in situations when they are not taken into custody immediately by the police,” it said.

If the accused fail to appear, a warrant is issued for law enforcement to take that person into custody.

Phone scams are on the rise, it said. Often these calls originate from foreign countries, making it difficult to investigate the incidents or bring the perpetrators to justice.

”On behalf of all law enforcement, we urge the public to take extreme care when dealing with these types of suspicious calls,” it said.”

Salavantis
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/web1_salavantis_ebmeeting.jpg.optimal.jpgSalavantis