MONROE — Another online scam is making the rounds, and this time it's impersonating a local law enforcement agency.
This latest scam was found on Facebook, Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough reported.
"The scammer is posting on social media that they are raising funds for the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department," Goodnough said in a news release. "The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office will NEVER request citizens to submit payment over the phone, via social media or solicit any citizen to donate money to our office. The Sheriff’s Office will also never request payment by way of gift cards."
Anyone who has given out sensitive banking information or personal information is encouraged to contact Monroe County Central Dispatch at 734-243-7070.
This is an example of what cybersecurity experts call spoofing or phishing. Spoofing is when someone disguises an email address, sender name, phone number, or website URL — often just by changing one letter, symbol, or number — to appear to be a trusted person, agency or organization, according to the FBI. Phishing schemes often use spoofing techniques to lure people in. These scams are designed to trick people into giving information to criminals that they shouldn’t have access to.
Subscribe Now:For all the latest local developments, breaking news and high school sports content.
The Federal Trade Commission lists these four signs that a communication is a scam:
1. Scammers pretend to be from an organization you know.
Scammers often pretend to be contacting you on behalf of the government. They might use a real name, like the FTC, Social Security Administration, IRS or Medicare, or make up a name that sounds official. Some pretend to be from a business you know, like a utility company, a tech company or even a charity asking for donations.
They use technology to change the phone number that appears on caller ID, so the name and number you see might not be real.
2. Scammers say there’s a problem or a prize.
They might say you’re in trouble with the government, you owe money, someone in your family had an emergency, or that there’s a virus on your computer.
Some scammers say there’s a problem with one of your accounts and that you need to verify some information.
Others will lie and say you won money in a lottery or sweepstakes but have to pay a fee to get it.
3. Scammers pressure you to act immediately.
Scammers want you to act before you have time to think. If you’re on the phone, they might tell you not to hang up so you can’t check out their story.
They might threaten to arrest you, sue you, take away your driver’s or business license, or deport you. They might say your computer is about to be corrupted.
4. Scammers tell you to pay in a specific way.
They often insist that you can only pay by using cryptocurrency, wiring money through a company like MoneyGram or Western Union, using a payment app, or putting money on a gift card and then giving them the numbers on the back of the card.
Some will send you a check — that will later turn out to be fake — then tell you to deposit it and send them money.
The FTC offers these tips on how to avoid a scam:
• Don’t wire money or use gift cards, cryptocurrency, or a payment app to pay someone who says they’re with the government.Scammers insist you can only pay these ways because it’s hard to track that money and just as hard to get it back. They’ll take your money and disappear.
• Don’t give your financial or personal information to someone who calls, texts, emails or messages you on social media and says they’re with the government. If you think a call or message could be real, stop. Hang up the phone and call the government agency directly at a number you know is correct. If the call is a robocall, don’t press any numbers. Pressing numbers could lead to more calls.
• Don’t trust your caller ID. Your caller ID might show the government agency’s real phone number or name — like “Social Security Administration.” But caller ID can be faked. It could be anyone calling from anywhere in the world.
• Don’t click on links in unexpected emails, texts or social media messages. Scammers send emails and messages that look like they’re from a government agency but are designed to steal your money and personal information. Don’t click on any link, and don’t pass it on to others. Just delete the message.
— Contact reporter David Panian at dpanian@lenconnect.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @lenaweepanian.
Most Popular
Comments / 0