On the heels of a scam in which the caller was pretending to be from the Lee County Sheriff’s Department, officials have issued a list of red flags that could indicate a scam is going on.
Sheriff Jim Johnson said in a Facebook post that the department has been contacted several times about a caller who states they are from the Lee County Sheriff’s Department and has some basic personal information. They state that they have a warrant for missed jury duty or something of that nature, and they try to take a payment through gift cards, bitcoin, or other digital means.
The spammers are spoofing the Lee County Sheriff‘s Department’s primary telephone number of 662-432-2600 so it looks like a legitimate call.
The sheriff’s office listed six things to look for that could indicate the person making contact with you is a scammer.
1. Unexpected contact: A person or company contacts you out of the blue by phone, text, or email about an invoice, order, delivery or charge you didn’t know about.
2. Everything is urgent: Scammers will create a false sense of urgency and use pressure tactics like rude or pushy language to get you to act immediately.
3. Very specific or unusual way to pay: They’re asking you to pay or send money through a gift card, cryptocurrency, a payment app, or even an online wire to pay for something, resolve an issue, get sweepstakes winnings, or secure a high return on your investment.
4. Threatening language: Scammers may tell you that you owe money and then threaten to call police if you don’t pay immediately. They may also coach you on what to tell the bank to withdraw or transfer money.
5. The romantic “emergency”: A new online love interest bombards you with sweet talk but doesn’t seem to want to meet in person. Suddenly a hardship or emergency strikes and they want you to send them money.
6. Access to your computer or device: Scammers will request you to download a specific software or application to your cell phone, tablet, or computer to help you with checking your device for virus, malware, version of software or firmware, or many other possibilities. Do not allow someone you do not know to have unlimited access to your device and gain control of your personal information including bank accounts, passwords, debit, and/or credit card information.
