A New Jersey woman has been accused of posing as a contact tracer and threatening to close a plumbing business over COVID-19 rules.
Prosecutors say Jennifer Strumph of Evesham allegedly told the business that she was a contact tracer with Burlington County's health department and said the county would shut the business down if they did not follow her order.
Strumph even created a fake email address for the ruse but employees became suspicious last year and reported her to the police. The 32-year-old was taken into custody on March 4 and released following a court appearance.
Police say the business owner paid $5,100 in overtime to follow the order imposed by Strumph. It's still unclear what her motive was in doing so.
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Strumph was charged with Computer Crime, Criminal Coercion with Intent to Harm Reputation and Assuming a False Identity, according to the prosecutor's office.