Scam Alerts
The Enfield Police Department has seen a vast increase in the number of scams reported in the last several months. Scammers are reaching residents through telephone and internet communication, and we’d like to take a moment to review some of the tactics and red flags that can help protect you and your loved ones from becoming a victim to a scam.
Some Scams we are currently aware of and would like to bring your attention to:
- Grandparent Scam
- Scammers will use the internet or telephone to contact a grandparent and claim to be their grandchild who is in trouble and needs money wired immediately and requests the grandparent not to say anything to any other family member in fear of upsetting them.
- IRS Telephone Scam
- A scammer will call and claim that they are an IRS agent – and go so far as to provide a fake badge number. They may act insulting and hostile to scare potential victims and go so far as to threaten to arrest the individual they have called.
- It has been reported that scam callers have ‘spoofed’ a local phone number by using a fake caller ID to trick the victim into believing they are a member of the local police department and threaten to arrest them.
- Suspected IRS scams can be reported to: irs.gov/uac/report-phishing
- Lottery and Sweepstakes Scams
- Scammers will call, email, or text consumers to say they have won a lottery or sweepstakes. The scammer will then ask for an upfront payment to cover processing fees or taxes to collect the winnings.
- After a victim pays the requested fee, they will later receive another call from someone claiming to be an attorney representing the sweepstakes or lottery winners and will request an upfront fee for collecting the winnings on behalf of the victim.
- Debt Collection Scams
- Phony debt collectors tend to contact older adults and present information that makes them appear legitimate. They may use scare tactics, including threatening arrest or physical harm if the debt is not paid immediately. Do not give the caller your financial or other personal information such as your social security number or date of birth.
- Charity Scams
- Scammers use methods such as: phone, face-to-face, email, social networking sites, and mobile devices to represent fake charities requesting donations. Always ask for detailed information about the charity including the name, address, and telephone number and be sure to research the organization prior to giving a monetary contribution. Never wire money to someone claiming to be a charity.
- If you think you have been a victim of a charity scam you should file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. For more information, visit ftc.gov/charityfraud
- Computer/Internet Scams
- Phishing scammers create authentic-looking emails, text messages, and/or internet pages to entice their victims into disclosing financial information such as passwords, credit card details, bank or credit card account numbers, Social Security numbers, Medicare numbers, etc.
KEY INFORMATION
- Do not send money via a wire transfer, pre-paid reloadable credit cards, or gift cards.
- Never give out personal identifying information such as your bank account number, your social security number, personal identification number (PINs), or passwords.
- Criminals spoof caller ID numbers - do not rely on caller ID alone to authenticate a caller as they may appear to be calling from a legitimate company or a local number but may not even be in the same country as you.
IMPORTANT RESOURCES
Credit reporting agencies:
- Equifax (888)-766-0008; Equifax.com
- Experian (888)-397-3742; Experian.com
- Transunion (800)-680-7289; TransUnion.com
Information booklets about Identity Theft and how to protect yourself are located at the Enfield Police Department, and available to pick up Monday through Friday, 8a-4p. If you have any concerns or believe you have been contacted by a scammer, or if a scammer claims that that there is a warrant out for your arrest or threaten they will send the police if you do not pay them – please reach out to us at 603-632-7501.