We’ve seen a few incidents recently where scammers attempted to obtain money from unsuspecting residents. Recent examples are phone calls and e-mails from people claiming to be in law enforcement or from the IRS, notices that your power is going to be shut off, or people buying or selling items.
Always be alert to the possibility that you may fall victim to a scam.
A few things to look out for:
- Urgency – scammers want to create a sense of fear of consequences or missing an opportunity,
- Requests to pay with gift cards or other unusual payment methods, or
- Overpayments that request a refund of the difference
If you have suspicions, slow down the transaction and ask questions. Use independent sources to verify contact information of the other party and never share personal information. If a scammer claims to be from Amazon or the IRS, it's ok to hang up the phone and call the agency or company directly to verify. Contact the police to report scams or if you have been the victim of a crime.
And remember, when buying or selling items,
if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!