Berks County officials are warning residents about an increase in sophisticated scams targeting people throughout the county, including older adults, veterans, business owners and families. The schemes range from fraudulent arrest warrants and impersonated law enforcement officers to fake government communications, cryptocurrency demands and attempts to steal personal information.
During a press conference Tuesday morning, November 10, county commissioners joined representatives from the Sheriff’s Office, District Attorney’s Office, Area Agency on Aging, Veterans Affairs and Purchasing Department to highlight the growing problem and explain how residents can protect themselves.
County Commissioner Christian Leinbach said officials decided to hold a joint press conference after recognizing that multiple county departments were dealing with different forms of fraud.
“Over the recent weeks and months, there has been a definite uptick in a variety of scams here in Berks County and, frankly, across the country,” Leinbach said.
The issue recently hit close to home for Leinbach when his sister received a voicemail claiming to be from the Berks County Sheriff’s Office. Concerned about the message, she forwarded it to him, and he contacted Sheriff Mandy Miller, who confirmed it was fraudulent.
Within the following three to four days, Leinbach said his sister received two additional messages.
“And in talking to John and talking to the sheriff, realized it is, this scam industry is on steroids right now,” Leinbach said, referring to District Attorney John Adams.
Scammers impersonating law enforcement
One of the most concerning examples presented during the press conference was an audio recording of a fraudulent voicemail in which a caller identified himself as Lieutenant Jason Allen of the Berks County Sheriff’s Department.
The recording claimed the recipient had failed to appear for federal grand jury duty and needed to contact the office immediately to prevent possible legal consequences. The message included a telephone number, references to official court resources and instructions for contacting the supposed Civil Services Division.
Sheriff Mandy Miller explained that the recording demonstrated how convincing these communications have become.
“These individuals call residents and tell them that they missed federal jury duty, they failed to appear for court, or they have an outstanding arrest warrant,” Miller said. “They’ll tell you that unless you pay a fine immediately, deputies or federal agents will be coming to arrest you.”
Miller emphasized that the Sheriff’s Office does not demand payments over the telephone to prevent arrests.
“I want to be very clear. The Berks County Sheriff’s Office will never, ever call you and demand money to avoid being arrested,” she said.
According to Miller, scammers frequently possess personal information about their targets, including names, addresses, dates of birth and sometimes Social Security numbers or banking details. They may also impersonate actual county employees or send fabricated arrest warrants featuring official-looking seals and signatures.
Some victims are kept on the telephone for hours while scammers threaten them with arrest and instruct them not to speak with anyone else.
The callers often demand that victims withdraw money from their bank accounts and deposit it into cryptocurrency machines, which resemble traditional ATMs but allow users to purchase digital currency using cash.
Miller warned that once the money is transferred, recovering it can be extremely difficult.
“If someone tells you to go to a Bitcoin machine to keep yourself out of jail, you’re being scammed. Hang up the phone. It is a scam,” Miller said.
District Attorney John Adams reinforced the warning, displaying an example of a fraudulent arrest warrant that referenced the Western District of Pennsylvania rather than the Eastern District, where Berks County is located.
Adams said scammers are increasingly using legitimate names and spoofed telephone numbers to convince residents that the communications are authentic.
He also described another scheme involving families of incarcerated individuals. In those cases, scammers contact relatives and falsely offer to arrange electronic ankle monitoring in exchange for payment.
Adams identified cryptocurrency payment machines as a recurring feature of many scams. He said these machines, located in some convenience stores and grocery stores throughout Berks County, allow criminals to move stolen funds quickly, making recovery particularly challenging for investigators.
“We do not call people to collect money. We do not call people to tell them there’s a warrant for your arrest,” Adams said.
The district attorney acknowledged that prosecuting those responsible remains difficult because many operations originate outside the county and potentially overseas.
Older adults facing increasingly sophisticated fraud
Jessica Jones, director of the Berks County Area Agency on Aging, said financial exploitation has become the most frequently alleged form of abuse involving older Pennsylvanians for three consecutive years.
She explained that older adults are often targeted because of their retirement savings, accumulated assets and steady income. Social isolation and loneliness can also increase vulnerability.
While telephone scams have existed for years, Jones said criminals are increasingly using social media platforms, messaging applications and artificial intelligence to deceive victims.
“Social media now rivals the telephone as the tool for targeting older adults,” Jones said.
Scammers may pose as relatives, trusted organizations or romantic partners. Some use artificial intelligence to clone the voices of family members, creating convincing emergency situations in which victims are pressured to send money.
Other common schemes include fraudulent technology support, fake investment opportunities, cryptocurrency scams, lottery winnings and impersonation of government officials.
Jones said many victims are reluctant to report financial exploitation because they feel embarrassed or are uncertain where to turn for assistance.
She encouraged residents to resist pressure to act immediately, avoid clicking suspicious links and contact trusted individuals or agencies before sharing personal information.
The Area Agency on Aging can also assist residents who believe they or someone they know may have been targeted.
“So often we say, you know, hang up, stop, and think. Call the main number. Verify it,” Jones said.
Veterans targeted through fake benefit warnings
Berks County Veterans Affairs Director Jay Ostrich warned that veterans are also being singled out through fraudulent communications designed to exploit concerns about their benefits.
Ostrich described a text message claiming that a veteran’s disability compensation had been suspended and directing the recipient to click a link to verify personal information.
He revealed that he had received that same fraudulent message the previous week.
“As a disabled veteran myself, we are often targeted specifically for our VA benefits,” Ostrich said.
He explained that veterans who rely on disability compensation and other benefits to cover basic living expenses may be especially vulnerable to financial losses.
Ostrich said the Department of Veterans Affairs will not send unsolicited calls or texts threatening the loss of benefits and demanding immediate action to prevent it.
He encouraged veterans and their families to verify questionable communications by contacting the Berks County Veterans Affairs Office at 610-378-5601.
County businesses receiving fraudulent purchasing requests
Scammers are also attempting to exploit the county’s purchasing process by impersonating government employees and contacting businesses with fraudulent requests for quotes and purchase orders.
George Rodrigues, director of contracts and procurement for Berks County Purchasing, said scammers have been using the names of actual county staff members to make the communications appear legitimate.
Businesses receiving these requests may believe they are responding to an official government solicitation when no such purchase has been authorized.
Rodrigues explained that legitimate county solicitations are distributed through official procurement channels, including the county’s Oracle system, and are posted on the county website.
He warned businesses to closely examine email addresses, since fraudulent communications may use domains that closely resemble official government accounts.
The county’s official email domain is berkspa.gov, he said.
“If anything seems unusual, verify it independently,” Rodrigues said.
He encouraged businesses to contact the county’s Purchasing Department directly rather than respond to questionable solicitations.
Officials share examples of residents losing thousands
County Commissioner Michael Rivera shared two examples demonstrating how easily scammers can deceive even individuals who are familiar with common fraud tactics.
In one instance, Rivera said a former law enforcement officer received a telephone call supposedly from his bank about a compromised account. The individual began providing his card information before his wife recognized the potential scam and urged him to stop.
Rivera also described a business owner who received a fraudulent call claiming to be from the electric utility company, warning that power would be disconnected unless an overdue balance exceeding $5,000 was paid.
The scammers eventually convinced the business owner to make a $4,000 payment using a QR code at a local store. When the caller demanded additional money, a store employee recognized the scam and intervened, preventing another payment.
Rivera said the incidents illustrate why residents should never assume they are immune from fraud.
“If something seems off, stop, think about it, and as we’ve heard, hang up and call the number off of your credit card, off of your electric bill, off of the website,” Rivera said.
Commissioner Dante Santoni also urged families to watch out for elderly relatives, describing how scammers repeatedly contact his 95-year-old father and reference the names of his grandchildren in attempts to obtain personal or banking information.
Santoni also mentioned fraudulent Pennsylvania Turnpike payment notices as another common scheme.
Officials urge residents to verify suspicious communications
Throughout the press conference, county leaders repeatedly emphasized the importance of independently verifying unexpected calls, emails and text messages, particularly those involving threats, demands for immediate payment or requests for personal information.
Residents receiving a suspicious call claiming to be from law enforcement are encouraged to hang up and contact the agency directly using a verified telephone number rather than the number provided by the caller.
The Berks County Sheriff’s Office can be reached at 610-478-6240. Residents may also contact Berks County detectives at 610-478-7171 or the District Attorney’s Office at 610-478-6000.
Officials stressed that residents should never withdraw cash, purchase gift cards or deposit money into cryptocurrency machines because someone is threatening arrest or claiming an emergency.
Leinbach concluded by emphasizing that the victims of these scams are often ordinary residents who have lost thousands of dollars and may be too embarrassed to discuss their experiences publicly.
“Each of the people that spoke know of people that have actually been scammed and scammed within the last number of months of thousands of dollars, and they’re embarrassed to death that it happened,” Leinbach said.
He urged the public to take the warnings seriously and encouraged local media to help spread awareness before additional residents become victims.
