Woman impersonated contact tracer, attempted to shut down N.J. business, authorities say
Updated Mar 10, 2021;
A woman pretending to be a contact tracer reached out to an Evesham Township plumber and threatened to shut down the business by falsely claiming it had not followed coronavirus isolation and cleaning protocols, authorities said.
Jennifer Strumph, 32, of Evesham Township, was charged March 4 with computer crime, criminal coercion with intent to harm reputation and assuming a false identity, according to a joint statement from the Evesham Township Police and the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office.
An investigation that was launched late last year allegedly revealed that Strumph had contacted the unidentified business and impersonated a Burlington County Health Department contact tracer, the office said. She created a fake email address to make her impersonation believable, the office said.
Burlington County forms team to review overdose deaths
MOUNT HOLLY Burlington County officials are forming a team of experts to better understand the circumstances surrounding overdose deaths.
The Overdoses Fatality Review Team will perform confidential reviews of overdose deaths in the county, and use data to identify where the county can better direct resources to prevent future overdoses.
According to state data, 164 people died from suspected drug overdoses in Burlington County in 2019, and another 149 died from suspected overdoses last year.
“By taking a hard look at these unique lives and the circumstances surrounding their addiction and death, we hope to better understand the epidemic here and come up with better ways to fight it. Our main goals are to save lives and help beat addiction, said Burlington County Board of Commissioners Director Felicia Hopson.
Jennifer Strumph, 32, allegedly used a fake email address to contact the plumber and inform him about the made-up violations, telling the business owner that she was a contact tracer working for the county. In response plumber spent more than $5,100 on employee overtime to comply with Strumph s requirements, the Burlington County Prosecutor s Office said Tuesday.
After employees became suspicious, they ultimately reached out to police who confirmed that Strumph did not work for the Burlington County Health Department.
Investigators said they don t know Strumph s motivation for the alleged scam. She is charged with a computer crime, assuming a false identity and criminal coercion. Strumph released, pending her next hearing date, after appearing in Burlington County Superior Court.
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