LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — Everyone who lives on one street in Dupont has more in common than just their neighborhood. They all have the chance of being targeted by scammers.
"Every text you get that you don't know, delete it. Email, just delete it. Don't open it. Don't open the link even if you open it. That's always good advice," said John Morgan of Pittston.
Usually, when Newswatch 16 talks about scams targeting people in this way, it's about scams that happen over the phone.
"My mother-in-law had a caller actually state that her grandson was in danger, needed money to bail out. Thankfully, she was smart enough not to fall for it, but that's one that I've heard of," added Morgan.
Now some scammers are trying to change up their strategies and are targeting people through their mailbox.
Dupont police posted a fake letter on Facebook. It has official-looking seals that make it look legitimate at first glance, and it talks about a warrant out for the recipient's arrest. It says the arrest is on hold for 24 hours and can be avoided by getting a new social security number and purchasing gift cards.
"If they have success, one out of 1,000 times, they make their money. There's always someone looking to cheat the system," said Morgan.
A closer look shows typos that indicate this is not a real request, but because communications from entities like the IRS or the county come in the mail, it might make them believe otherwise.
"I think there's always a section of the population that's going to fall for these. It's tragic but still happens, and it always will," said Morgan.
Police in Dupont say these letters are going out to people in the Pittston area. If you have received one of these letters, you are asked to contact police.
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