Prison News

SCAM ALERT

Feb 24, 2026

Beware of a new scam that has recently come to our attention. Scammers are calling defendants and their family members to instruct them on entering the ARD program or reporting for an electronic monitor. They are then asking for $1,000 or a deposit to be paid through Venmo, Cashapp, or some other money transfer app. DO NOT PAY THEM! The following are indicators that this is a scam:

  1. A judge must order and include it on your bail conditions for you to be on any kind of monitoring device.
  2. Dauphin County Pretrial Services and Adult Probation do not charge any up-front fees for any monitoring service while on bail. They also do not accept any payments for any services through any such payment apps.
  3. You would not be eligible for the ARD program before having a preliminary hearing and you would need to apply to and be approved by the District Attorney’s office.

The scammers are providing detailed information that makes it seem legitimate. All three of the scam indicators above should help you identify the scam and you should not follow their instructions. If you are contacted, please note as much information as possible and report it to Dauphin County Criminal Investigations Division at 717-780-6200.

 

If you have questions, please contact your attorney or you may call Dauphin County Pretrial Services at 717-780-6440 and select Option 2.