Scam Prevention
There are many scams going around right now. Some of them involve phone calls or the internet. These scammers continually create ways to trick you into giving them money or access to your personal information.
Impersonating a Law Enforcement Official
One of the scams we commonly see is scammers pretending to be a law enforcement official. They often use names of actual officials. We have even had them use the names of some of our deputies.
The scam works like this:
- The scammer makes a call to you and tells you that you have missed court or failed to perform some other court ordered action – maybe missing jury duty
- The phone number on the caller ID will often show the number and name of the law enforcement agency for whom the scammer claims to work.
- The scammer will tell you their name – often a name they have gotten from a news story or internet article – and it is usually real.
- They will give you a phone number on which to return their call. When you return the call, they will have a very official sounding voicemail or answer the phone with the fake name.
- They will ask you to send them money, credit card information or may even have you buy prepaid credit cards. They will find some way for you to send them non-refundable money.
- Once the money or card information is given to the scammer, there is no way to trace the money or get the money back.
- The phone number they used was a faked number through an internet application and it will often be disconnected immediately.
- How do you avoid falling victim to this scam? ALWAYS hang up the phone – look up a number to the agency the person claims to work for YOURSELF and call the agency. Do NOT use a number the caller provides you.
- Keep in mind – law enforcement agencies will not call you and ask you to pay them over the phone, nor will they call and ask for your personal information.
- Lastly, remain calm. These scammers prey on your anxiety and generally try to create a sense of urgency regarding the matter. They may threaten to send someone to arrest you if you don’t give them the money over the phone.
- ALWAYS be leery of requests for unusual payment methods, such as prepaid money cards, gift cards, online payment companies, sending cash over-night, wire-transfers, anything that sounds unusual.
Social Media Distress Scam
Another scam that is spreading through the internet is scams on social media sites reporting that a person has located a lost child or animal. The post will usually contain a heart-breaking photo of the alleged child or injured animal. The scammer asks that the post be shared. Then after the post has been shared all over social media, the scammer changes the original post to contain links to a phishing site. The post will now have a link to a contest or a house for rent at a ridiculously low amount – this is all to gather your personal and financial information.
You can spot this scam by looking out for the following tell-tale signs:
- The original post has no detailed information such as a street or specific location where the child or animal was originally found
- The post is usually shared in large public groups such as “What’s Happening in ……”, “……. Yardsale” or “……… Trading”. The city name in the name of the group is usually the only location given in the post.
- Look at the original poster’s (scammer’s) profile. How old is the profile? How many friends does the poster have? If the profile leads you to believe it is a recently created profile – it’s likely a scammer.
- In the case of a located lost child – this would be publicized by the agency from where the child is missing. Would YOU go to social media to return a child to it’s parents, or would you go to law enforcement?
- If you see a friend has shared a post such as this, advise them to delete the post from their page.
AI Voice Cloning Scam
The final scam I would like to tell you about is just starting to take root…..this is voice cloning, using AI (artificial intelligence). This is pretty scary and requires the person who receives the call to remain calm and not react out of panic.
One way the scam works is like this:
- The scammer records someone’s voice from online recordings such as Facebook or TikTok.
- The voice is uploaded into AI software and then the scammer creates a new script for the recorded voice.
- Then the scammer calls a family member located on social media or informational site.
- The AI generated voice will explain a tragic event that scares the victim and causes panic that is difficult to overcome. For example, the voice could tell a grandparent that they are their grandchild and they have been in a horrific accident and killed someone. A bail bondsman will need to collect money for the grandchild to get out of jail. An even more frightening story is that the child or grandchild has been kidnapped or had a medical emergency. Who wouldn’t be so terrified that they lose all sense of reality?
- How do you spot this incredibly convincing scam? Hang up and call your child/grandchild directly! If they say they’ve been arrested, hang up and call the facility with a number you look up. Do NOT take a number from the caller.
- You can also be prepared for a situation like this in advance. Have a ‘safe-word’ that you share with your children/grandchildren – any family member who would call you for help. When you ask for the safe word – they won’t have the answer. Chances are, if your loved one is actually calling you for help, you won’t even have to ask for the safe-word. They will start the conversation with it.