Over the last couple of months, Patriot reporters have heard increasingly numerous accounts of area residents receiving or, sadly, falling for scams over the phone. These scammers are incredibly persuasive, and they will use fear tactics or charm in order to make even intelligent individuals doubt themselves.
There are several ways to spot scams such as these, which are detailed below, but the very best rule of thumb that works in every situation is this: when receiving a call which seems suspicious, hang up immediately. If the caller says to not hang up on them or else something bad will happen, it is almost certainly a scam. At the very least, put the phone on mute and make a call on another phone.
Next, after hanging up or putting the caller on hold, find the direct number of the person or agency they claim to represent. For example, if the scammer says they represent Microsoft, call the Microsoft customer support line and ask if they, in fact, had called. If the scammer is pretending to be a relative or friend who is in jeopardy, call that person directly. If unable to reach the organization or individual in question, ask a friend, relative, or even law officer about the call. This person should be able to help spot a scam, even if the victim cannot. It is always important to trust one’s gut in these situations as well.
Scams on the Rise
Scammers have been heavily targeting Sherburne County for a few months. Reports from the sheriff’s office indicate people are falling victim to these callers with some regularity.
“Unfortunately, we are seeing a rise in many different scam calls recently,” stated acting chief Sam Olson of the Big Lake Police Dept. “We recommend that if you receive a call that sounds to good to be true, or just does not sound legitimate, please hang up and notify your local Law Enforcement. Legitimate companies will not ask you to pay, or donate with iTunes cards or Visa gift cards.”
Olson continued, “It is extremely hard to investigate these calls when someone has ‘donated’ or paid money to these scammers. We have found that the money used is then usually turned into crypto currency and sent overseas where it cannot be traced.”
Staff from Sherburne State Bank recalled one incident where a customer tried to withdraw a large amount of money from the bank in order to pay a scammer. See more of the story in an upcoming Patriot edition.
Allen Berg, director of Community Education for Big Lake Schools, said the school has received six reports of a scam being done in the name of the school. A caller claiming to be representing the Big Lake Schools has contacted area businesses asking if they would like to sponsor one of the school’s athletic teams. Berg stated the school does not cold call individuals or businesses to ask for donations. He said the school will always ask for donations in person, usually by inviting the individual or business on a tour of the school, and fundraisers are organized by the PTO, the students, or E-Backpack.
With scammers targeting the community, residents are again encouraged to hang up the phone, call the organization, and report calls to the police.
Common Scams
Deputy Rozanne Schreder of the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office reviewed several common scams the residents might find.
Gift Card Scam
She noted that if the caller asks for payment via gift cards, it is certainly a scam. No legitimate organization is going to ask that a person buy gift cards as a form of payment, especially not a government organization.
Related somewhat to the gift card scam, some scammers may ask the victim to take out a large amount of cash from their bank and put the money in a box to ship. Do not do this.
Computer Scams
Another situation to watch out for is when a scammer calls regarding a computer issue. No company will ever call because they detected a virus on a computer, it is up to the computer’s owner to reach out with issues. That being said, there are some pop-up ads on websites that will claim there has been a virus detected on the computer. Do not call the number these ads say to call, they are scammers. Instead, close the computer browser or shut off the computer, and this should clear the issue. Be careful when browsing the internet, and do not click links unless they come from a trustworthy source, as hackers may be able to track information that is typed on a keyboard, including username and password information.
Password/Username Scams
Never provide personal or account information to a caller. If the caller asks for a Social Security number, or even for passwords, usernames, or PIN numbers for an account, like a phone service (Verizon, AT&T, etc.), email, bank account, or any other account, do not give them the information. Hang up the phone and call the organization directly to verify whether they need that information. Never take someone at their word that they represent a company or organization, always verify.
Online Banking Scams
Some scammers will convince their victims to log into their online bank accounts, after giving the scammers access to view their computers. Firstly, do not follow links sent by the scammers or download any software they send. This allows the scammers to view any information typed onto the computer and change the computer’s display. Scammers will often try to give the victims a false sense of control, telling the victims to type in their information and that the scammers will not type in any information. This is a ruse to gain the victim’s trust and view the victim’s private information at the same time.
Once the victim has logged into their bank account, or other online account, the scammer will hack their computer to change the display. They can manipulate a computer screen to show that a victim has a zero balance in their bank account. This, however, is a trick. The scammer was not actually able to completely drain the bank account. If the victim refreshes the web page, the disguise will disappear and the account will return to a normal balance.
The scammer will use fear tactics, telling the victim they must do something (can be any number of things) to get their money back. Again, this is a ruse. The victim has not yet lost their money. At this point, the victim must hang up the phone and turn off their computer, then immediately call the bank and let them know of the situation in order to put a hold on the account so the scammer cannot use the victim’s username and password to log into the bank account. The password should be changed immediately to prevent the scammer stealing the victim’s money.
“It’s Me” Scam
Some scammers will call and say something along the lines of, “It’s me! I need help.” This person might claim to be in jail or another difficult situation, and they need the victim’s monetary help to get out. They will encourage the victim to not call any other family members or friends to help, as they are “embarrassed.” When the scammer says, “It’s me,” the kneejerk reaction of the victim is to say, “Is this ___?” and fill in the name of a person they know. Once the scammer has that name, they will pretend to be that person, and many of them are very good actors.
What the victim should do is hang up and call the person in question directly. If the victim thinks the call may be legitimate, they should tell the caller to state their name. The caller may try to state a common name. The victim should then ask for a last name. When questioned thoroughly, the scammer should hang up. Again, the best policy is to follow the rule of thumb and call the person directly, no matter what the scammer on the phone says.
Other Scams
Scams are constantly evolving, but many will follow these basic guidelines. More scams are outlined by the Federal Trade Commission at Consumer.FTC.gov/features/scam-alerts.
What Scam Victims Should Do
There are many different scams, and the criminals who scam people are very creative, coming up with new scams every day. When a person receives a call that could be a scam, the rule of thumb listed above cannot be reiterated enough: call the organization directly.
Scammers are incredibly convincing. Deputy Schreder noted that it’s not uncommon for even tech-savvy 20 and 30 year olds to fall for scams. These people know exactly how to manipulate their victims, and even very smart people can fall prey to these scams.
Deputy Schreder encourages anyone who is in doubt to contact the sheriff’s office or their local police department. An officer will assist anyone in this matter. She said she knew of one instance where a deputy picked up the victim’s phone while on a call with a scammer and stated that they were a law officer, upon which the scammer instantly hung up.
If the victim does not call for help, it becomes very difficult to find the culprit. Many of these criminals live in foreign countries. Phone numbers can be reported to law enforcement, as can the nature of the scam, but it is difficult to get the victim’s money back or to make an arrest. Deputy Schreder encourages residents to trust their guts, and involve those they trust right away. At the very least, talk it over with someone.
“Sometimes when you explain the situation out loud to someone, it becomes clear that it was a scam,” said Schreder.
