Talking on a phone. (Photo: Martin Cathrae/Flickr)
A scam has resurfaced in Ocean County that involves a caller claiming to be from a law firm looking to collect money owed on past payday loans.
According to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, the caller claims to be with the “Cooper Law Firm” and tells the potential victim that they owe money from a payday loan. The caller will proceed to use scare tactics, authorities said, by threatening to have the victim arrested or bring legal other action against them unless they immediately send the money they request.
In most cases they try to get money from the victim and in some instances their personal information, officials said.
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As with most phone scams, finding the perpetrator has been literally impossible since the calls originate from overseas or the source is cryptically masked. Authorities are advising anyone who receives such a call to simply hang up the phone.
In some of the calls, the scammers have presented themselves as US Cash Advance, a legitimate company.
“The OCPO High Tech Crime Unit cannot emphasize enough that your best defense is to just hang up on callers seeking instant payments or personal information over the phone,” said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the prosecutor’s office.
