SCAM Prevention and Information
Be cautious with any call, text, or message from someone you don’t know—scammers often pose as trusted sources.
Specific Scams to Watch Out For
Scammers are using AI to create realistic phishing emails, fake voices, and deepfake videos to trick victims into providing personal information or money.
Scammers pose as trusted individuals, celebrities, or government officials to deceive people into sharing sensitive information or money.
Scammers post fake job ads or send emails offering employment to trick job seekers into providing personal information or money.
Scammers target those interested in cryptocurrency, often using fake investment opportunities or phishing tactics to steal money or personal information.
Scammers build fake relationships online to manipulate victims into sending money or personal information.
Scammers use various tactics to steal money or personal information from taxpayers, including fake tax refunds or fake job offers.
Scammers use AI to create realistic phishing emails and text messages that mimic official communications, tricking victims into sharing personal information.
Scammers steal your phone number and access your accounts by transferring your SIM card to a different phone.
Scammers use fake QR codes to redirect victims to malicious websites or trigger unauthorized transactions.
Scammers use bots to mimic legitimate companies and trick people into sharing their OTP codes.
If you are a citizen of Washington County and believe you are the victim of a SCAM….
Contact the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at (740) 376-7070 ext. 0
Go to IC3.gov and file a complaint.
(ic3.gov is the official website for the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center.)
FRAUD TERMS
Advance-Fee Fraud: A scam where the victim is promised a significant sum of money, but must pay a small fee upfront. The scammer collects the fee and disappears without delivering the promised funds.
Bait and Switch: A deceptive marketing practice where customers are lured in with the promise of a great deal on a product that is unavailable or of inferior quality, then redirected to a more expensive item.
Catfishing: The act of creating a fake identity on social media or dating sites to deceive people into a romantic relationship, usually for financial gain.
Identity Theft: A type of fraud where someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person’s personal data, typically for financial gain
Juice Jacking: When a scammer loads malware onto public USB charging stations
Malware: Malicious Software used to commit cybercrime
Pharming: Redirecting users from legitimate websites to fake ones
Phishing: A scam where scammers pose as legitimate entities to trick individuals into sharing financial or sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details via email or fake websites.
Pyramid Scheme: An illegal investment scam based on a hierarchical setup of network marketing. Participants recruit others into the scheme, with the expectation of profits derived primarily from the recruiting of others rather than the sale of products or services
Ransomware: Malicious software that encrypts a victim’s data, with the attacker demanding payment (ransom) for the decryption key.
Skimming: The illegal copying of information from the magnetic stripe or chip of a credit or debit card, typically done by using devices such as a skimmer or shimmer.
Smishing: Phishing via text message
Spoofing: When a scammer disguises a communication to make it seem like it is coming from a trusted source. This can happen with emails, phone calls, websites, and more.
Spyware: A type of malware scammers use to gather data from electronic devices
Vishing: Phishing via phone; when a scammer makes deceptive phone calls