OCEAN COUNTY – A Berkeley Township woman had already lost $25,000 after allowing someone posing as a Microsoft representative to access her computer. Three days later, the scammers called again.
This time, the caller claimed to be with Homeland Security and offered to help recover her money. She was instructed to withdraw $40,000 in cash, place it in a black box and meet an “agent” in the parking lot of Luigi’s Deli in South Toms River.
She followed the instructions and handed over the money. When the same person returned seeking another $19,000, Berkeley Township detectives and an investigator from the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office were waiting. They arrested a man whom Mastronardy described as a Chinese national living in Mexico.
“He was putting money in a fund,” said Ocean County Sheriff Michael Mastronardy. “It was going to a Chinese gang.”
Mastronardy shared the case as consumer protection officials from across New Jersey compared the frauds and questionable business practices they’ve encountered. Their accounts showed how quickly scams are evolving and why recovering money is often far more difficult than preventing losses.
“This is happening every day as we’re speaking here,” Mastronardy said. “There are people being victimized in our county, in our state.”
The discussion took place at the Toms River Yacht Club, where representatives from nine counties and state officials gathered for the annual summer meeting of the County and Municipal Consumer Agencies. Other attendees included Ocean County Commissioner Director Frank Sadeghi, Commissioner Samuel Ellenbogen and Seaside Heights Police Chief Thomas Boyd.
Ocean County Consumer Affairs Director Ronald Heinzman, who was recently re-elected president of the statewide association, hosted the meeting. New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport, Senior Counsel Erin Whitty and State Division of Consumer Affairs Acting Director Jeremy Hollander were among those taking notes as county representatives described recurring problems involving impersonation scams, used-car sales, home improvement contractors, gift cards and illegal flavored vaping products.
The shared concern was not simply that scams continue. It was that perpetrators constantly change their tactics, often combining technology, official-looking documents and psychological pressure to overcome warnings from banks, police and family members.
Stepping Up Enforcement
Ocean County Commissioner Deputy Director Jennifier Bacchione warned that some political fundraising texts may falsely appear to support a particular candidate or campaign. “There are more and more scams coming up every day,” she said. “As soon as the people higher up think of a way to fix things, they think of another way to scam.”
Senator Carmen Amato (R-9th) said lawmakers need to keep pace as scammers adopt new technology and find ways around existing laws. He also warned that artificial intelligence can help scammers imitate a relative’s voice or likeness when asking for money.
Amato invited consumer affairs officials to identify statutes that need updating, particularly those involving fraud against seniors and veterans. “If you see anything that needs to be updated, please let my office know,” Amato said. “We’ll be more than happy to introduce legislation to make these penalties a little stricter.”
Assemblyman Brian Rumpf (R-9th) followed by emphasizing the financial consequences for seniors already struggling with New Jersey’s high cost of living. He said Ocean County has approximately 100 senior communities, making protection against financial exploitation especially important locally.
“Life is tough enough as it is; costs are high all over,” Rumpf said. “But how unaffordable is it when the scammers get ahold of our loved ones’ dollars?”
Davenport said enforcement remains necessary, but it must be paired with prevention because perpetrators may be outside New Jersey or beyond the reach of local agencies by the time a complaint is received.
“We also have to make sure that we’re doing as much as we can to not have that scam happen in the first place,” Davenport said. “We know how hard it is when folks are not subject to our jurisdiction to get that money back.”
A Victim’s Embarrassment
Elsie Foster’s roles as Middlesex County’s director of Consumer Affairs and Weights and Measures and mayor of Highland Park converged when a senior called her municipal office asking why she was supposedly blocking money owed to him.
The man had already sent scammers $15,000 and was being asked for another $20,000. Even Foster’s staff could not initially convince him that the money did not exist, prompting a police officer to visit his home.
Foster said his embarrassment after learning the truth illustrates why some victims hesitate to report fraud. Middlesex County has launched a campaign reminding residents that scammers are not trying to help them, no matter how convincing they sound.
Contractors And Used Car Dealers
Not every consumer loss begins with an anonymous caller. Representatives from Bergen, Passaic, Union, Monmouth and Ocean counties reported continuing or increasing complaints involving used car dealerships.
Some consumers buy vehicles marked “as is” without understanding that the designation can sharply limit their options if the car breaks down. Others sign documents electronically and later mistakenly believe the contracts are not legally binding.
Officials also described dealers advertising one price online and demanding thousands more when a customer arrives. One Hudson County dealership allegedly sold high-end vehicles to out-of-state buyers but failed to deliver the titles needed to register them.
Heinzman said Ocean County has experienced an influx of complaints involving both car dealerships and home improvement contractors. One of the enforcement challenges involves contractors who accept $10,000, perform a token amount of work such as digging a hole and then disappear.
Commissioner Robert Arace said the danger is particularly serious in Ocean County because of its large senior population. While serving as Manchester Township mayor, Arace said he learned of contractors using substandard materials in senior homes, including flooring so inadequate that residents fell through it.
Some seniors live alone or no longer have family members nearby to review contracts or inspect the work, he said. That makes Consumer Affairs a critical “watchdog or safeguard” for residents who may otherwise feel they have no one to turn to.
First Line Of Defense
Davenport called local consumer offices the “first line of defense” against fraud, scams, abuse and financial exploitation. Just as important as enforcement, she said, is assuring residents that someone will listen and respond when they report a problem.
That trust grows when consumers see action and learn they are not alone, she said. Although government resources may be limited, Davenport told the county representatives, “We’re never limited when it comes to our creativity or our sense of urgency.”
