Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo issued an alert about a bail scam targeting area residents.  This scam is similar to one recently used in which call recipients were told that they owed a fine for missing jury duty.  The bail calls likely involve the same group.  In the bail scam, a local resident received a call from a person falsely claiming to be from the Dauphin County Courthouse.  The caller said that the resident's son had been arrested for driving under the influence and endangering the welfare of a child, after an accident in which the son was injured. 

The fraudulent caller purported to transfer the father to a public defender who claimed he could post an "attorney bond".  The person falsely claiming to be a public defender instructed the father to go to a pharmacy and purchase a gift card or moneygram to transmit to this fake lawyer over the telephone. The father perceived the fraud and contacted the police.  The callers are using fraudulent numbers to conduct these scams.  The courts do not request money transfers over the telephone.  If you have any information about this criminal activity, please contact the Criminal Investigation Division of the Dauphin County District Attorney's Office at (717) 780-6200.