Fraudsters continue to rip people off using scam calls, gift cards and bitcoin ATMs. Police in Fairfax County, Virginia, are warning residents to avoid callers that ask for money and immediately report any scams they come across.
“They’re taking advantage of people’s fear,” said Sgt. Jacob Pearce.
Unsuspecting victims will receive a call from an unknown number, posing as the fraud department from a bank or other business.
“They convey a sense of urgency that you need to act right now to avoid arrest or to avoid more fraud from occurring,” Pearce said.
The caller will then direct people to purchase gift cards and make deposits into ATMs, both means of payment that become very hard to trace.
Scammers have also posed as police officers in order to swindle money.
Police alerted the community back in December of these schemes but since then, the department has seen more than a dozen additional cases.
Most of the cases involve transactions of around $10,000 but one victim in January was defrauded of $31,100, according to Fairfax County police.
Pearce said if you receive a call claiming to be a fraud department from Amazon or your bank, “Hang up, find the legitimate number for that institution, or go through your banking app or the legitimate website and then contact their fraud department that way.”
That will usually clear up any confusion.
“Legitimate companies may leave a voicemail or follow up with a text message or an email if there is fraudulent activity going on in one of your financial institutions,” Pearce said. “You should never feel pressured to share personal information or banking information with somebody that’s on the phone.”
The police also encourage you to consult with family or friends before making any sort of similar financial decisions.
If you find yourself caught up in the middle of a scam, even if you’ve gone all the way through to depositing money or sending prepaid gift card information, you can contact Fairfax County’s Financial Crimes Unit to file an online report.
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