Police Department
Avoid becoming the victim of a scam. There are so many types of scams today that it would be impossible to list them all, or to detail how they work. However, there are some similarities used by many scammers that can tip you off that you have been targeted for a scam.
1) The person you are interacting with represents themselves to be some type of authority figure (Sheriff, IRS, Utility Company, IT Specialist, Banking Rep, Police). This is meant to intimidate and frighten you. They will act aggressively and use threats of arresting you, shutting off your utilities immediately, or making you think your bank accounts are being drained unless you do something they say immediately. They will create a sense of urgency so that you won’t question them. They want you to act before you have a chance to really think things over, or to confer with someone else.
2) They will make you stay on the line with them during the entirety of your interaction -- even if it takes hours. They want you to remain in constant communication with them, and to interact only with them. This way you will not have the opportunity to investigate their claim for yourself. They do not want you to independently investigate their claim by calling your bank, the IRS, your utility company, or your local law enforcement department. They need to keep you isolated so that you won’t find out you are being scammed until it’s too late.
3) They will require some type of unconventional form of payment. They don’t want you to pay with a check as it would take too long to get to them, and you could cancel the check prior to its arrival once you’ve ended the phone call and confirmed you’ve been scammed. The same goes with credit cards as these interactions are traceable and you can stop payment on them as well. Instead, you will be instructed to pay with Bitcoin or some other form of crypto currency. Or you may be instructed to acquire Green Dot cards or some other form of prepaid debit cards. Once you get the cards with the agreed amount of payment, you will disclose the PIN to the scammer, and they will get your money in a manner that can’t be traced. Another popular form of payment is Apple Pay, Venmo, CashApp or some other type of mobile payment.
Remember, scammers don’t want you to independently investigate their claim. They will pressure you to act immediately…., or else. They will try to keep you on the line as long as possible. If you absolutely insist on having to call them back (the phone is dying, about to lose service, etc.), they will provide you with a call back number. They don’t want you to look up the real number of the entity they are purporting themselves to be. Please note that requiring you to settle the debt with some form of untraceable payment is a huge red flag. All legitimate businesses and governmental agencies track all payments as required by tax law.
Don’t allow yourself to be pressured. Remember, you can always hang up. Take a deep breath, look up the real phone number and investigate the claim for yourself. If you have any concerns about the legitimacy of a claim for payment, call the Police Department and we can help you through it.